After 223 extra days on the job...
After 223 extra days on the job while owners feuded over a successor, Pete Rozelle said goodby as NFL commissioner and prepared to head for his retirement home in Rancho Santa Fe.
“I just want to say that after seven months of waiting, I feel like a combination of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Willie Shoemaker and Sarah Bernhardt,” Rozelle said. “I’ve had more farewell parties and farewell press conferences than I can remember.”
Rozelle, 63, announced his retirement March 22. However, he has been living in a New York hotel since Aug. 1 while the owners tried to settle on a new commissioner.
Rozelle will officially turn over his job to Paul Tagliabue at midnight Saturday after saying farewell to the office staff today.
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