By Michael Stets
DETROIT–NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in town on Tuesday night for a Lions Fan Forum at Ford Field. During a hour-long fan Q and A session, Goodell touched on a variety of topics including player safety, protests, and of course, the Motor City playing host to a future NFL Draft or Superbowl.
“Roger asked me again and I promised him if we have the draft here no one will boo him,” said Lions team president Rod Wood, breaking the ice with a joke, which drew plenty of laughter as Goodell is usually welcomed by a resounding chorus of boos every year when he makes his way to the podium.
“It’s not going to work,” Goodell said, smiling.
Wood has pushed for the city to host either event, and with the recent $100 million spent on renovations of Ford Field, he and team owner Martha Ford gave Goodell a tour of the stadium to show the NFL commissioner the improvements that were made.
“The thing that struck me so much was how much was put into creating a better fan experience,” said Goodell. “Everything that Rod did in the offseason along with the support of the Fords, was really to try and make that experience better.”
The Lions, who formally submitted an application to host an NFL Draft on Tuesday, will have plenty of competition, though, as Goodell mentioned there are 24 cities that have expressed interest in hosting one.
“We did talk about it,” said Wood. “The commissioner knows that we are interested in having both [NFL Draft and Superbowl] here. There are a lot more cities that are also interested, but I think we are going to give it our best shot. I think the stadium is ready to host a big event like that. Hopefully we will get strong consideration.”
“No coincidence that application came in an hour before we landed,” Goodell said, which drew some more laughs.
Goodell said he hadn’t yet read the Lions proposal to host the NFL Draft, but said he had an idea of what it may entail.
“I say this only because I have not seen what their proposal is I assume that it’s using the stadium in some fashion and after seeing what I saw today, I think that’s a good thing,” said Goodell to reporters after the Fan Forum had ended. “But I think it’s also the way they do it with the fans. Obviously the people in this area are passionate fans and I think that could be a real big positive for us.”
The commissioner also gave Wood and the Lions credit for attending this year’s draft in Philadelphia, which ultimately led to greater interest from other cities around the NFL.
“They [Detroit] were one of the cities that came to Philadelphia to see what Philadelphia did,” Goodell said. “I think that changed everybody’s view about how wonderful this draft event can be. We had 250,000 people. It was an extraordinary experience. And every city is going to take that and say, ‘what can we do to top that? And what can we do to really put our own twist on it and reflect well on our community?’”
Having 24 teams interested in hosting the NFL Draft, Goodell says, is, “a great sign that we haven’t had that it really means a great deal to communities. I’m excited about the potential and I think this community does a great job.”
Goodell was then asked by moderator Dan Miller to give his thoughts on the state of the Lions. And the commissioner heaped a great deal of praise upon the Lions owner.
“Mrs. Ford, to me, is all about doing things at the highest level and she has demonstrated incredible commitment at the league level,” said Goodell, before recalling a story of Mrs. Ford, 91, attending the NFL owner’s meetings in Los Angeles, Calif. and being “actively engaged” throughout the proceedings before flying back home the same day she flew out.
“She is a great contributor at the league level but I know here passion is Detroit,” he continued. “I know here passion is with the Lions, and I know her passion with getting the best people around her to make the right decisions. And I think that is something that everybody here should feel great about. She cares greatly about this community and the organization and I think she’s committed to it.”
As for the Lion’s chances to host the NFL Draft, Goodell told reporters after the Fan Forum Q and A had ended that “it’s pretty competitive” among the 24 teams.
“As I mentioned, we have 24 cities out there looking to host the draft. That’s a good thing on one level but it’s also a lot of work to try to make sure we try to get to every one of those cities.”