NFL to Begin the Task of Finding New Leader

The NFL soon will undergo a change at the top, a process that will begin this week at the league’s annual meetings when team owners take the first steps toward replacing retiring Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

Tagliabue announced last week he plans to step down in July, ending his 16-year tenure as head of the country’s most popular and profitable sports enterprise. The leading candidate to succeed him is Roger Goodell, the league’s chief operating officer, although he’s not a shoo-in. At least one owner has suggested hiring a recruitment service to help sort through the list of potential replacements.

Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons, has been widely reported to be a candidate. But several league sources say it is unlikely McKay will receive serious consideration.

“I appreciate the fact that anybody would mention my name,” McKay said. “But by the same token, it’s a long process. It’s only pure speculation.”

As co-chairman of the competition committee, however, McKay will have other significant issues to discuss at the meetings, which begin today and run through Wednesday.

The items on the committee’s agenda -- initiatives on which owners will vote either Tuesday or Wednesday -- include player-safety issues, a modification to the instant-replay system and a proposal to expand the playoff field.

Much of the time also will be devoted to working out details of the recently adopted revenue-sharing plan, which was an essential step in striking a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union. Indications are the debate between higher- and lower-revenue teams has just begun and is likely to continue long after these meetings conclude.

The initiative to put a team back in the Los Angeles area is still plodding along, and the league staff working on that is scheduled to give owners an update on the situation. Tagliabue said he plans to visit L.A. in April and May, and it is possible the league will make an effort to spur the process -- or at least formally recognize the progress made -- during his final months as commissioner.

A contingent from the Coliseum plans to be at the hotel where the meetings are taking place, although no one representing that venue has been asked to make any presentation to the owners.

The proposal to expand the playoff field from 12 to 14 teams is being made by the Kansas City Chiefs, who have unsuccessfully pitched the idea in past years.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are proposing to widen the scope of instant replay so that every play would be subject to review. Also, there is a proposal to shorten the referees’ review time from 90 to 60 seconds.

The competition committee has considered ways to reduce the number of false-start penalties called and will present those to the owners for a vote.

“One of the things we will propose is to allow eligible receivers to reset, so instead of killing the play, the receiver will be given the opportunity to [reset] and there will be no stoppage,” McKay said.

McKay acknowledged the reputation of NFL officials was somewhat damaged by questionable calls in the playoffs. The Seattle Seahawks complained after losing the Super Bowl that they were victimized by several bad calls.

“I worry that the perception of the officiating is not good because I know what the perception is driven by,” he said. “Basically, it’s one of those things that if you have just a couple, a handful of big calls in big games, then that’s going to drive perception....

“We don’t like that perception. We don’t like what happened in the playoffs, and certainly followed by the Super Bowl, because all of a sudden that is the snowball that says officiating didn’t have a good year when in our perception that is not the case.”