FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 1999

COMMISSIONER TAGLIABUE OPENS MEETING WITH ANNUAL REVIEW

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue opened the 1999 NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, today with a 30-minute review of overall league affairs to a group of approximately 200 club presidents, head coaches, front-office employees, and league officials.

Excerpts from the Commissioner’s review include:

"The state of the league right now is very strong. In 1998, the competition on the field was outstanding. There was unpredictability about the season in a positive sense, symbolized best by the fact that for only the second time ever all six divisions crowned new champions."

"Based on the quality of the game we are presenting on the field, our audience is the largest in professional sports. The league is in a time of substantial growth. But it also must be said that we are in a period of transition and fundamental change that has major implications and presents many serious challenges."

"One of the key transitions we are experiencing is from NFC dominance to AFC competitiveness. The perception that the Super Bowl belonged to the NFC has ended. The list of marquee teams in no longer limited to what some people once thought – the NFC East and the San Francisco 49ers."

"The Atlanta Falcons typified the competitive strength of our league. As Dan Reeves noted, the Falcons going from 3-13 to the Super Bowl in two years is good for the entire league because it gives hope to fans in every NFL city."

"The morning after Super Bowl XXXIII I was struck by something John Elway said in his press conference – a simple, heartfelt statement. After being asked what he would do when he no longer plays football, Elway said it would be hard for him to be away from the game because he’s always played football, and ‘this is the greatest game there is.’ Our results in 1998 reflect this reality."

"Putting aside the rhetoric that comes with the end of a millennium, our biggest challenge is to work together and to compete together – as a league – with other entertainment. We are the designers and builders of the NFL entering the next millennium. You are the successors of George Halas and others who built the league through strong league institutions, starting with the draft and revenue sharing. This means we must preserve and extend our unique league institutions – the leaguewide television packages, strong revenue sharing, and joint efforts to build stadiums and promote the game."