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Commissioner Paul Tagliabue
October 19, 2003
Ericsson Stadium
Opening remarks:
Good afternoon. Earlier this summer I was speaking with Jerry Richardson
and I told him that I wanted to come to a Panthers game. We selected this
one and, of course, it turned out to be one of the big games on the schedule
with the Panthers at 5-0 and Tennessee at 4-2. I’m delighted to be here. It
should be an interesting afternoon to put it mildly.
On the last time he was at Ericsson
Stadium for a Panthers game:
You’re testing my memory -- I don’t know. I go to so many football
games in so many stadiums so you will have to ask someone in my office.
(Panthers Director of Communication
Charlie Dayton informs that it was for the Panthers vs. Green Bay Monday
night game in 2000.)
On Los Angeles:
L.A. is not an expansion issue; it is a
stadium issue at this point. We are working real hard with three different
communities – Los Angeles itself, which is through the Coliseum, Carson and
Pasadena, and we are getting into some in-depth environmental approvals and
construction analysis in each of those three locations.
On instant
replay:
We
revisit instant replay every offseason, every month, every week it seems. My
guess is that it will continue basically the way that it is.
On if he feels that the instant replay
system is working:
Yes, it is working. I think there is a good balance between the pace of
the game and getting many of the big plays correct. We all would like to see
it limited to the big plays – that’s the goal. How you define a big play is
frequently in the eye of the beholder. I don’t think that there will be many
changes and I think it will be improved on a going-forward basis.
On extending the
regular season and shortening the preseason:
We
mentioned that and we are going to discuss that concept coming up at our
meeting in Chicago. It’s pretty clear right now that the overwhelming
sentiment is to stay as we are. We will report at the Chicago League Meeting
as to why that is in the minds of most of the teams.
On the pros and
cons of leaving the schedule as is:
I think
that the pros are that this is a tried-and-true, time-tested system. It’s a
system that the coaches feel is important for player development and squad
building and there is not a lot of sentiment to change that.
On the testing
of new steroids:
I don’t
know anything about it. I read about it in the newspaper. Other people
handle that. Some weeks ago, I was told that there were some tests going on
as to steroids that are out there and that we might be expanding the list. I
don’t know anything about the specifics of compounds that have been added to
the list of prohibited steroids. You could get that from our office.
On changes to
overtime procedures:
That’s
a postseason matter for me, not an in-season matter. I think there is
interest in it. There was obviously interest in it last year and we didn’t
get a consensus for change. I’m sure there will be some new ideas on the
table this year. The one idea that is already floating around is that you
wouldn’t kick off at the overtime, you would just keep the ball in play
going into the fifth period just as you do going from the first quarter to
the second quarter. So you would take the kickoff and the coin toss out of
the equation. But that’s just one of a number of ideas that I’m sure will be
looked at.
On Charlotte as a potential Super Bowl
site:
The list of Super Bowl cities is so long right now that I think if
Carolina were to add itself to the list that it would be 10 years from now
before it would be up there for serious consideration. But those things can
change. We are spreading the game around. We just did an analysis of the
Super Bowls up to this point and I think the first 15 Super Bowls were
spread among four cities and the next 15 were spread among nine or 10 or 11
cities. So if this area were to put its oar in the water, so to speak, I’m
sure it would get serious consideration. I think right now there is a lot of
attention focused on those cities that need new stadiums and are trying to
work with their community to get new stadiums and the Super Bowl is part of
that equation. That’s why I say it’s a long list with Arizona and New York.
New York had been planning on making a presentation next week but they
withdrew and are now focused on 2009. Other people are focusing on the years
beyond that. It’s a tough competition. I’ve told many owners that competing
for the Super Bowl is as tough as competing for your divisional title and
they know what that means.
On the pros and
cons of Charlotte as a site:
I think
that the interest and support for the Panthers would be a big plus.
It’s always great to play the Super Bowl in the area where there is strong
interest. The stadium would be a plus. Beyond that, I think that this area
would be competitive with a lot of other cities such as Denver, which has
raised the possibility of playing a game there. So, there would be tough
competition.
On Warren Sapp’s fine and appeal:
I don’t
know anything about his reaction except that he didn’t think it was too
good. I think his conduct over the three-week period, which was the basis
for the fine, was substantially over the line, to put it mildly. His coach
and organization had warned him explicitly that if he did anything further
in the pregame or otherwise that was disrespectful to the officials there
would be discipline and then he went out and intentionally bumped an
official. He’s lucky to be playing this week.
On fan
attendance:
It’s
very strong all over the league. We usually measure the strength of the fan
interest by the number of games that are sold out and I think we are close
to a record pace this year with most every game being sold out. It’s a
reflection of the competitiveness around the league. Teams that were
performing extremely well are challenged this year. Teams such as Carolina
and Minnesota that were in the middle of the pack or lower than that in
recent years are now at the top of the pack. That’s the type of competition
we want. You win because you go out there and work harder and compete
harder, not because you have a deep pocket.
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