Paul Tagliabue
FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2013, file photo, Oakland Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson (24) talks with Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) after an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif. Peyton Manning and Charles Woodson are among 14 first-year eligible candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson 2021 Hall of Fame candidates

By Barry Wilner Sep. 16, 2020 01:03 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 1, 2019, file photo, Denver Broncos wide receiver Trinity Benson (2) can't catch a pass under pressure from Atlanta Falcons defensive back Jayson Stanley (23) during the second half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame NFL preseason game in Canton, Ohio. The NFL has canceled the Hall of Fame game that traditionally opens the preseason and is delaying the 2020 induction ceremonies because of the coronavirus pandemic, two people with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday, June 25, 2020. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been publicly announced, though an announcement is expected later Thursday. (AP Photo/David Richard, File)
NFL cancels Hall of Fame game, delays inductions until 2021

By Barry Wilner Jun. 25, 2020 10:16 AM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2017, file photo, football fans toss footballs on the lawn outside the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Pro Football Hall of Fame will reopen Wednesday, June 10, 2020, after nearly a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Pro Football Hall of Fame to reopen on Wednesday

Jun. 09, 2020 01:21 PM EDT

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2017, file photo, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answers questions during a season ticket member fan forum before practice at the Cleveland Browns NFL football team's training camp facility in Berea, Ohio. Several NFL teams are reopening their training facilities Tuesday, May 19, 2020, while many are prohibited by government restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave the 32 clubs the go-ahead for limited reopenings as long as state and local municipalities allow them. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
NFL owners make changes to enhance diversity on many levels

By Barry Wilner May. 19, 2020 02:54 PM EDT

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2007, file photo, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula laughs during an interview at his home in Indian Creek, Fla. Shula, who won the most games of any NFL coach and led the Miami Dolphins to the only perfect season in league history, died Monday, May 4, 2020, at his home in Indian Creek, Fla., the team said. He was 90. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Shula remembered by peers for "playing within the rules"

By Steven Wine May. 04, 2020 04:36 PM EDT

Tom Valentin, Director Of Food And Beverage for Shula's Hotel & Golf Club, shows off some memorabilia associated with former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, Monday, May 4, 2020, at the hotel and golf club in Miami Lakes, Fla. Shula died Monday at his home in Indian Creek, Fla. He was 90. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Column: Shula should be remembered for more than wins

By Barry Wilner May. 04, 2020 04:09 PM EDT

Former coaches, Jimmie Johnson, left, and Bill Cowher making introductions at the NFL Honors football award show Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Steelers-Cowboys in Hall of Fame game, honor former coaches

Mar. 10, 2020 01:01 PM EDT

Hall of Fame to hold 2 inductions, in August and September

Feb. 25, 2020 01:18 PM EST
CANTON, Ohio (AP) — The Pro Football Hall of Fame will hold two induction ceremonies this year. The five modern-day players, plus the two...

Hall of Fame Class of 2020, stand on stage at the NFL Honors football award show Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, in Miami. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Safeties first: Polamalu, Atwater heading to Hall of Fame

By Eddie Pells Feb. 01, 2020 06:02 PM EST

FILE - In this Nov. 10, 2013, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu follows the action during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Pittsburgh. John Lynch, now the general manager of the 49ers who will play the Chiefs in Sunday's Super Bowl, is up for the seventh time. Steve Atwater is a finalist for the third time. LeRoy Butler and first-year eligible Troy Polamalu complete the quartet of safeties among the 15 final candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
4 safeties vying for Hall of Fame spot, 3 WRs and OLs

By Barry Wilner Jan. 31, 2020 12:53 PM EST

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., watch and listen to Saints quarterback Drew Brees, speak during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) advocate and former National Football League (NFL) player, Steve Gleason, in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Ex-NFL player Steve Gleason honored by Congress for ALS work

Jan. 15, 2020 07:08 PM EST

FILE - This Feb. 5, 2011, file photo shows Steve Sabol during an interview in Dallas. NFL films pioneer Steve Sabol was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, announced Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
Tagliabue, NFL Films' Sabol headed to Hall of Fame

By Barry Wilner Jan. 15, 2020 08:30 AM EST

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 file photo,Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach Sam Wyche answers a question during a news conference introducing the Bills new coaching staff at the Ralph Wilson Stadium complex in Orchard Park, N.Y. Sam Wyche, who pushed the boundaries as an offensive innovator with the Cincinnati Bengals and challenged the NFL’s protocols along the way, has died, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. He was 74. (AP Photo/Don Heupel, File)
Sam Wyche, boundary-pushing coach of Bengals, dead at 74

By Joe Kay Jan. 02, 2020 06:56 PM EST

FILE - In this Thursday, June 6, 2013 file photo, David Stern, NBA Commissioner, right, and Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner, speak before the start of Game 1 of the NBA Finals basketball game between the San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat in Miami. David Stern, who spent 30 years as the NBA's longest-serving commissioner and oversaw its growth into a global power, has died on New Year’s Day, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. He was 77. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Reaction to the death of former NBA Commissioner David Stern

By The Associated Press Jan. 01, 2020 07:21 PM EST

FILE - In this Jan. 6, 1980, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers Donnie Shell (31) hits Houston Oilers' Mike Renfro causing Renfro to fumble the ball in second quarter of AFC championship NFL football game in Pittsburgh. NFL champion players Roger Craig, Drew Pearson and Donnie Shell are among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's special centennial class announced Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019. A 25-member panel of pro football experts is charged with selecting 10 senior players, two coaches and three contributors who will be inducted into the Canton, Ohio shrine next year as part of the league's celebration of its 100th season. (AP Photo/File)
5 Super Bowl-winning coaches are finalists for Hall of Fame

By Barry Wilner Dec. 19, 2019 01:00 PM EST

File-This Dec. 22, 2012, file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers chairman emeritus Dan Rooney attending the unveiling of a marker commemorating the 40th anniversary of the "Immaculate Reception" at the sight of the catch on the Northside of Pittsburgh. In 2003, the NFL had three minority head coaches: future Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, Herman Edwards and Marvin Lewis. In the 12 previous seasons, there had been six. Total. Considering that the majority of the players in the league 16 years ago were minorities, that imbalance was enormous. And disturbing. And, frankly, it was unfair. Paul Tagliabue, then the NFL commissioner, put together a committee that established the "Rooney Rule," which requires all teams with coaching and front office vacancies to interview minority candidates. The rule, long overdue, was named for Rooney, then president of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the overseer of that committee. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NFL At 100: Rooney Rule has its positives and its faults

By Barry Wilner Dec. 06, 2019 12:45 PM EST

FILE - In this March 8, 2006, file photo, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue smiles while addressing the media to detail terms of a six-year deal approved at the NFL owners meeting in Grapevine, Texas. NFL team owners knew in 1989 they needed a leader who was going to bring the league out of the dark decade of the 1980s, when litigation, labor troubles and stagnant TV ratings dramatically slowed the growth of the league and hastened Pete Rozelle's departure. They chose Tagliabue. (AP Photo/D.J. Peters, File)
When NFL needed change, Paul Tagliabue was choice in 1989

By Barry Wilner Nov. 22, 2019 12:09 PM EST

FILE - In this Sept;. 25, 2006, file photo, New Orleans Saints fullback Mike Karney, left, is consoled by teammate Ernie Conwell as he weeps at the end of a 23-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons at the newly re-opened Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. This one couldn't have been scripted any better for a team that spent all of last season on the road, and it couldn't have come at a better time for a city that is still struggling to overcome the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
NFL At 100-AP Was There-Falcons-Saints 2006

By The Associated Press Nov. 05, 2019 07:19 PM EST

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 1984, file photo, Los Angeles Raiders' Matt Millen gestures as he celebrates with teammate Reggie Kinlaw following the Raiders' 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII in Tampa. (AP Photo/File)
NFL at 100: Montana, Rice and 49ers rule the 1980s

By Dennis Waszak Jr. Nov. 01, 2019 12:37 PM EDT

FILE - In this Feb. 14, 1966, file photo, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle, center, discusses a new television contract for championship games for a record $2 million per game with Bill MacPhail, left, Vice President CBS-TV and John Reynolds President CBS-TV, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/RH, File)
Rozelle: From compromise candidate to commissioner nonpareil

By Barry Wilner Oct. 18, 2019 10:28 AM EDT