Roger Goodell Accepts Responsibility For Seating Problem
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's testimony Wednesday could be the only one he supplies during the NFL seat trial. It's a videotaped deposition taken 18 months ago.
In it Goodell accepts full responsibility for the seating problem. He made a similar admission the morning after Super Bowl 45. He said, "It's obviously a failure on our behalf, and we have to take responsibility for what happened." On that Super Bowl Sunday four hundred fans didn't have seats, 1400 fans had restricted views.
In court, the NFL said the contractor hired by the Dallas Cowboys couldn't install some of the temporary seats properly in time for the game. In his deposition, Goodell was asked why he didn't discuss the seating problems with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before kick-off. Goodell said, "The Cowboys, specifically Stephen Jones, knew this would be a black eye for the league if we couldn't get the seats done."
Four years ago CBS 11's Jack Fink asked Goodell "Do the Cowboys bear any responsibility for the seating?" Goodell told Fink. "No, we put on this event, no, this was the responsibility of the NFL." Goodell also said he wanted to meet with affected ticket-holders, but their security people advised him not to see disappointed fans.
Because of the winter storm, the judge ended proceedings early Wednesday afternoon. The rest of Goodell's deposition will be played for jurors Thursday afternoon when court resumes.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell may still testify before the jury if league attorneys call him as a witness. No word yet if that will happen, if so, the plaintiffs' attorney would be able to cross-examine him during trial.
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