Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue passed away on Sunday morning, his family announced. He was 84 years old. According to ESPN, the cause of death was heart failure complicated by Parkinson's disease.
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Tagliabue took over as league commissioner for Pete Rozelle in 1989 after previously serving as the league's attorney. He remained in this role through the 2006 season when Roger Goodell took over as commissioner.
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tagliabue oversaw significant growth. He helped the team welcome four new franchises — the Carolina Panthers in 1995, the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995, the current version of the Cleveland Browns in 1999, and the Houston Texans in 2002.
Additionally, the New Jersey native led the NFL as the league instituted free agency and the salary cap. He oversaw a league that began to grow more competitive as more and more teams contended for playoff berths.
More importantly, he guided the sport in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He became instrumental in bringing the Saints back to New Orleans after the team spent time in San Antonio.
"All of us in the NFL are deeply saddened by the passing of Paul Tagliabue, whose principled leadership and vision put the NFL on the path to unparalleled success," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a statement on Sunday.
"Throughout his decades-long leadership on behalf of the NFL, first as outside counsel and then during a powerful 17-year tenure as commissioner, Paul served with integrity, passion and an unwavering conviction to do what was best for the league. Paul was the ultimate steward of the game — tall in stature, humble in presence and decisive in his loyalty to the NFL.
"He viewed every challenge and opportunity through the lens of what was best for the greater good, a principle he inherited from Pete Rozelle and passed on to me. ... I am forever grateful and proud to have Paul as my friend and mentor. I cherished the innumerable hours we spent together where he helped shape me as an executive but also as a man, husband and father. Jane and I extend our heartfelt condolences to entire Tagliabue family, especially Chan, his wife of 60 years, and their children Drew and Emily."
