Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue died Sunday morning, his family announced. He was 84.
Tagliabue died at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He is survived by his wife, Chandler, and his two children, Drew and Emily.
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Tagliabue served as league commissioner from November 1989 to September 2006, overseeing a period of growth in the NFL. Tagliabue oversaw record-breaking television deals, expansion of the league’s franchises and the continued popularity boom of the NFL.
He was succeeded by current commissioner Roger Goodell, who took over the post in 2006. In a lengthy statement, Goodell wrote that he was “forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor.”
“All of us in the NFL are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Tagliabue, whose principled leadership and vision put the NFL on the path to unparalleled success,” Goodell wrote. “Paul was the ultimate steward of the game — tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL. He viewed every challenge and opportunity through the lens of what was best for the greater good, a principle he inherited from Pete Rozelle and passed on to me.
“During his Hall of Fame NFL career, Paul fostered labor peace with our players, oversaw the expansion of the league to 32 teams, ushered in an era of state-of-the-art stadiums and laid the important groundwork of establishing the league as a global brand.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called Tagliabue a “principled leader who guided the league through an unprecedented era of change, growth and success with great resolve and integrity.”
Additionally, NBA commissioner Adam Silver chimed in to praise Tagliabue as a “pioneering commissioner.”
“With his vision, integrity and tenacity, he ushered in an unprecedented era of growth in the NFL,” Silver wrote. “Among his many enduring lessons of leadership we remember was his understanding of the power of sports to bring people together and make a difference off the field of play, including most recently collaborating with our league to promote civic engagement around the country. Paul was that kind of selfless leader throughout his life and career.”
Tagliabue oversaw multiple relocations and the addition of four expansion teams during his tenure as commissioner, starting with the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers in 1995. The Baltimore Ravens (who were relocated from Cleveland) began play in 1996, before a new Cleveland franchise in 1999 brought the Browns back. And in 2002, the Houston Texans became the league’s 32nd franchise, replacing the relocated Houston Oilers (who became the Tennessee Titans in 1999).
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He was also a major factor in the league’s current television presence: One year after Tagliabue was elected by the league’s board, he announced a four-year, $3.6 billion television deal that was the largest in TV history at the time, per Tagliabue’s bio in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tagliabue oversaw the negotiation of the 1993 collective bargaining agreement, which included groundbreaking new structures on free agency and the expansion of the salary cap. The league also supported the building of 20 new stadiums under Tagliabue; 16 of those stadiums are still in use by NFL teams today.
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He also laid the groundwork for the NFL’s expansion into international markets, setting up the league’s presence in Europe. He also navigated the league through two difficult periods in the early 2000s, making the decision to cancel games in the wake of 9/11 and later protecting the presence of the Saints in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Taligbue was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 as a contributor, joining the other league commissioners to receive the honor.
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