NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell praised the league's much-criticized management during a scheduled question-and-answer session with NBC's Mike Tirico while promoting the 2024 NFL Draft that will be hosted in Detroit from April 25-27.
What makes his praise even more surprising is that this conversation took place on Wednesday…in Detroit.
Via Detroit NewsTirico broached the topic of management in a roundabout way, saying, “Analysts (are not) perfect, coaches are not perfect, our quarterbacks are not perfect. They throw ins. Running backs miss in the hole, but we ask the referees to be perfect.”
They make decisions within seconds, Goodell continued.
Of course, the wounds remain fresh with the Lions and management regarding the receiver eligibility controversy involving tackle Taylor Decker in the team's Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Add another call that drew the ire of Lions fans who involved Decker in the team's NFC wild-card win over the Los Angeles Rams as officials cited interference for a false start instead of calling the Rams' Ernest Jones for a neutral zone violation.
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The NFL defends the call at the heart of the Lions-Cowboys controversy in the video
The Lions will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC divisional playoff round on Sunday.
Goodell didn't bring up the Week 17 scrimmage, but he did hint at offside penalties.
“And you know there are two teams, so… is he offside or not?” Goodell said. “It's just part of their job. They're the hardest working people I see. They take a lot of pride in it. There are individuals working to try to make sure they contribute to the game, but we have the technology to try to do that as well.”
“I'm very proud of what they're doing.”
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(Photo: Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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