Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who guided the league to new heights of financial prosperity during his 17-year run yet drew heavy scrutiny for his handling of the league's concussion crisis, died Sunday in Chevy Chase, Maryland, his family announced. He was 84.
Tagliabue's apparent cause of death was heart failure complicated by Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with approximately seven years ago.
Tagliabue served as NFL Commissioner from 1989-2006, taking over for Pete Rozelle. During that span, he helped the league navigate several crises, including the decision to postpone games after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the fallout from Hurricane Katrina. His ability to maintain broker labor peace and avoid any work stoppages has been widely credited as a major factor in the league's financial boom during his tenure.
Yet several of Tagliabue's remarks and decisions regarding concussions and head injuries clouded his time. In 2017, he apologized for his 1994 comment that "is relatively small; the problem is the journalist issue."
“There were some things that we did which probably should have been done much quicker,” Tagliabue told USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell in 2021. “But in the longer run, what’s happened in the last 20 years suggests it might not have made that much difference. Put it another way: For the most part, I think we did the things at the time that could have made the most difference.”
