NFL commissioner Roger Goodell held his yearly press conference in Atlanta, Georgia Wednesday, as the league prepares for Super Bowl LIII set to take place on Sunday evening.
Goodell touched upon a few Chiefs-related items, which we’ll cover here:
Mexico City
The Chiefs will give Mexico City a second try in 2019 when they “visit” the Los Angeles Chargers at Estadio Azteca. The Chiefs-Rams game slated for November 19 last year was moved to Los Angeles when field conditions in Mexico City did not meet NFL standards.
Goodell was asked about the trust he has in Mexico City when it comes to the attempt to host another game.
“Let me start with saying we have had a tremendous relationship with Mexico’s officials, the people, the fans, and we’re very proud of that,” Goodell said. “We were all disappointed when we weren’t able to play there this year, but I believe all of us did the right thing. But as you know, I came down to Mexico, I met with the incoming president, who’s now the president (Andrés Manuel López Obrador). I believe we established a very good relationship. Our partners in Televisa—they’re all very eager for us to return next season, as we are, and I believe we are going to continue that relationship, and I believe that we’re going to continue to grow the game of football in Mexico. I think we’re going to be great for Mexico because I think it puts it on a stage that I think is great for the country and shows all the assets and value that Mexico has. But I also think it’s great for the NFL and our fans, most importantly.”
Raiders stadium location
From Oakland to London to San Francisco, Raiders owner Mark Davis has gone on record in saying “all options are open” when it comes to where the team will play in 2019. The league hopes the location issue is resolved by early February for scheduling purposes.
Goodell provided a brief update on Wednesday.
“[The Raiders have] been having a variety of discussions with officials looking at their options, making sure they evaluate that,” Goodell said. “It’s unfortunate that litigation was filed prior to their final season in Oakland, but that’s a reality. That was filed by the city. I’m hopeful they’ll get a resolution soon. As far as timing—the key thing on the timing is our schedule. We need to make a schedule for the 2019 season and the sooner the better for us with that.”
Could it be San Diego?
“The hope of Mark (Davis) is to continue to be in the Bay Area where there is Raiders fans.”
The Raiders intend to play in Las Vegas in 2020.
Kareem Hunt
The Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt back in late November, and he passed through waivers, making him a free agent.
Goodell was asked about the status of Hunt’s case on Wednesday.
“I think everyone knows that issue’s under investigation—it has been,” Goodell said. “He is a free agent. If he is signed by a club, I think all clubs understand he’ll go on the commissioner exempt list at that point in time until the discipline process has concluded—whether there’s discipline or not discipline—we would finish the investigation and make a determination. So that hopefully will happen soon, but we haven’t concluded the investigation and we’re working to do that.
“There has been a tremendous amount of progress in that investigation over the last 30 to 60 days.”
Goodell spoke to the media for nearly an hour—watch in full above or by clicking here.