VIDEO SHOWS: COMMENTS FROM NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 2, 2026) (NFL NETWORK – Must not obscure logo) 1. NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL & MODERATOR WALKING UP ON STAGE 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON DIVERSITY IN HEAD COACHING POSITIONS, SAYING: “I believe diversity is good for us. I think we have become a more diverse league across every platform, including coaching, but we still have more work to do. There's got to be more steps. So, we're reevaluating everything we're doing, including our accelerator program, and including every aspect of our policies and our programs to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow rather than yesterday. So, we need to be looking at that and, sort of, say, ‘okay, why did we have the results this year? What is it that we can be doing in training or education?’, and that goes for not just the candidates, but also the clubs, and how we can try to continue to increase the opportunities and the outcomes ultimately.” 3. WHITE FLASH 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON ICE’S SECURITY PRESENCE AT THE SUPER BOWL, SAYING: “Security is obviously one of the things we focus on the most. It's a SEAR 1 (Special Event Assessment Rating) level event that involves unique assets at the federal level, state level, and the local level, all working together. I see no change in that in the preparations for the Super Bowl. We've not seen that. We're working with all three of those levels and doing everything we can to make sure it's a safe environment, and the federal government is a big part of that, including this administration and every other administration before that. I think SEAR 1 has probably been the category we've had since at least the turn of the century, if not before that. So, I just anticipate we'll continue to do the work to make it the safest event.” 5. WHITE FLASH 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON BAD BUNNY’S GRAMMY AWARDS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH, SAYING: “Listen, Bad Bunny is, and I think that was demonstrated last night, one of the great artists in the world, and that's one of the reasons we chose him, but the other reason is he understood the platform he was on, and that this platform is used to unite people and to be able to bring people together with their creativity, with their talents, and to be able to use this moment to do that, and I think artists in the past have done that. I think Bad Bunny understands it, and I think he'll have a great performance.” 7. WHITE FLASH 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON REVIEWING FACTS SURROUNDING REPORTS LINKING NEW YORK GIANTS CO-OWNER STEVE TISCH TO CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER JEFFREY EPSTEIN, SAYING: “I don't even know the status of all the releases. I know that three million documents came out last week. So, listen, we'll continue to follow any of the facts that come up, and we'll determine whether we open an investigation or not based on those facts.” 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON NEXT SEASON’S INTERNATIONAL GAMES, SAYING: “The one thing I do know is we're going to have nine games internationally, and we're excited by that. We're in several new markets. Australia, we're moving from Rio to Brazil. You mentioned Paris is a new market. We're going back to Munich. We're going to be in London, of course. We just think, and we have a really big announcement from my standpoint as we're heading back to Mexico City in December, which I think is wonderful for our fans in Mexico, while they've been redoing the stadium for the World Cup. This will be a chance for us to get back there this December, and we can't wait for that either.” 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) NFL COMMISSIONER, ROGER GOODELL, ON BILL BELICHICK’S HALL OF FAME SNUB, SAYING: “We are not involved in it. Listen, Bill Belichick's record goes without saying. Same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft, who's also a candidate. They're spectacular. They've contributed so much to this game, and I believe they'll be Hall of Famers.” 11. GOODELL POSING WITH VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY BEFORE WALKING OFF STAGE STORY: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell vowed on Monday (February) to continue looking into the league's diversity programmes after only one of the 10 head coaching positions went to a Black coach during the latest hiring cycle. Speaking at his annual Super Bowl week press conference in San Jose, Goodell acknowledged the league's inclusion efforts have stalled despite the 2003 "Rooney Rule" requiring teams to interview diverse candidates for coaching and senior football positions. The number of Black head coaches across the 32-team league has now dropped to four, down from a peak of nine in recent years. The commissioner pointed to other areas where the NFL embraces diversity, including selecting Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny as the Super Bowl half-time performer. Asked about the artist's anti-ICE statements at Sunday's Grammy Awards and potential political messaging, Goodell emphasized unity. The NFL's commitment to diversity extends globally. Goodell announced nine international games for next season, including the return to Mexico City in December after a multi-year absence while the stadium underwent World Cup renovations. The league will also debut games in Paris and Australia, while returning to Spain, Brazil, Munich and London. The Mexico City return is particularly significant given the NFL's large Latino fanbase and efforts to maintain a strong presence in one of its most important international markets. On security matters, Goodell said preparations for Sunday's Super Bowl remain unchanged despite questions about potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. He clarified the game has always been classified as a SEAR 1 level event, the highest security designation. The commissioner also said the league will review facts surrounding reports linking New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before determining whether to open an investigation. The Super Bowl between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will be played Sunday at Levi's Stadium. (Production: Stefan Haskins)
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