SAN JOSE — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the league would be willing to help solve some of the challenges facing the tumultuous world of college football, but only if its input is solicited and welcome.
“There’s obviously a lot of change going on and a lot of disruption, and they do need to bring some clarity to that,” Goodell said during his annual Super Bowl week press conference at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center. “And I think that’s something that, if for some reason we could be helpful with the right people, we would obviously be willing to engage with anybody. But I think we try to stay in our lane unless we’re invited in to be part of the solution.”
Goodell acknowledged the NFL is following the two cases in college basketball where players who had been drafted by the NBA are attempting to return to college careers. It’s also tracking the larger conversation around possible legislation to address college sports governance issues.
He championed the NFL’s eligibility rules as being good for the league, the players and college sports. The NFL requires players to be at least three years removed from high school and have exhausted or forfeited their collegiate eligibility.
“We keep a close eye on this,” Goodell said. “I think our eligibility rule is really good for young men who play our sport. It gives them a chance to mature and get an education, which will benefit them for a lifetime. I also think [the rules] develop stars. They come in as stars, and I think the strength of college is something that I think is good for all of us.”
Goodell said the league will “do everything we can” to continue to defend its eligibility rule.
The original question asked Goodell if he felt the changes in college football were a threat to the NFL. He did not address that.