COMMISSIONER PAUL TAGLIABUE INTERVIEW WITH ESPN'S CHRIS BERMAN
April 18, 1998

Q. Joining us now, friends of all of ours, really, certainly presiding over a bumper year in the National Football League, Paul Tagliabue.

Exciting draft, as we talked about. Thank you for joining us. But, television deal, bargaining agreement, CBA very close to being ratified, a lot of ducks in order this year, a lot of excitement in the League, isn't there?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: We did. And I think you can feel it here with the fans today, and you can see it in the stadiums last year and culminating with the Super Bowl. It was a great year for the League and hopefully we can keep it going.

Q. There was some upset teams, as you were well aware of, about the pick that Oakland just acquired that they used Bender (DT Leon) on, the compensatory pick. The situation didn't change. But if the teams had not been appeased, do you feel that you have addressed it; you have talked to them and everybody is moving on?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: Well, it is a competitive thing at this time of the draft, so, understand, that people can get upset about this type of thing. But it will be done on a transition basis. We focused hard on the competitive aspects to make sure it was fair. It is something that we have been doing since the 1992 when we made the transition into free agency. And it is important to get the Labor Agreement extended. That is what this is a part of. That is what gives us the draft. That is what gives us a 31st pick. So if we don't make these types of adjustments and do it in a fair way, then we will have a lot of instability.

So, in the big picture, this is an important thing we did; that the clubs will understand that it was similar to what we did with Ted Washington and Robert Smith three or four weeks ago and I think it will be accepted.

Q. Can't to talk everybody but the Colts were -- did you talk to Polian (Bill) and Irsay (Jim), et cetera?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: I spoke to Jim Irsay yesterday at some length, and I think he had come to understand having spoken to our people and George Young, and I talked about the competitive aspects and satisfied ourselves that it was a balanced thing. Chester McGlockton, as you know, four straight times in a Pro Bowl, it is a big thing to lose him and the compensatory pick concept built into our system now.

Q. Cleveland Browns were entering the NFL next fall, in May. Is the timetable right that you are going to get an ownership group together? What is the timetable for them as they come in alone as an odd team? It will be the 31st team?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: Well, the biggest dates for me will be the Hall of Fame game next year when the Cleveland Browns play the Dallas Cowboys in Canton, Ohio, that is the big day for me. And then opening up the regular season next year, but next week we are going to have our ownership application out to the interested parties and we will be processing it and hopefully reach a decision on the owner in the upcoming months by midsummer.

Q. How long can the League go with an odd number of teams, someone off week-one, and someone will be off week-17 which is not an ideal situation?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: It is not ideal, but as you know, we have had odd numbers of teams in the past. But, I think the key thing now is we have a window of opportunity to expand to a 32nd team. We are working with people in Los Angeles and Houston - those would be our priority cities - and hopefully we can get something done in the next couple of years.

Q. What is the League's role, if any, at this point in the San Francisco situation? We had Carmen Policy on the air a while ago.

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: I had been staying in close touch with the head of the DeBartolo family, the head of the Corporation, and I will be talking to him this coming week. I told him we would talk again right after the Draft and I have spoken to Mayor Brown about the stadium situation on a number of occasions. So, our priority is to keep the 49ers front and center; focused on the field which Steve Mariucci at the helm, hopefully these off-field things will resolve themselves in the coming months, but we want stability and continuity.

Q. You got a chance to meet some of the top players and specifically the two quarterbacks; I don't know who is taller, Manning, Leaf or you?

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: We are close. We talked about that this morning.

Q. They are great. It is exciting, this draft. When we look back, this will be one that we fondly remember. They are all wonderful kids.

COMMISIONER TAGLIABUE: The four players we had here today, Charles Woodson, and Curtis Enis and the two quarterbacks, I think it is typical of what we have in the NFL today, outstanding young men who are focused not just on the field but off the field, talking to these players and their families, they know that people expect them to be role models and also great football players, and I think they will all be will be that.

Q. Congratulations on a great year and a new contract for you. Always a pleasure to see you.