Pete Rozelle Celebrity Quotations

At last, someone came to tell me I'd been selected as commissioner, which gave rise to the line that I took the job with clean hands. I was then taken downstairs to a press conference, and the reporters were as surprised as I was.

I'm not saying that the press is wrong to report any internal differences we have, but at the same time, I think it's our job to keep them from becoming public issues, for anything that detracts from the purely athletic aspects of the sport is bad for us.

I think the big thing I've had going for me in that regard has been the success of the league. I don't have quite as much control over things as people believe, so I frequently receive more credit than I deserve, and occasionally more criticism as well.

Every franchise of both leagues will remain in its present location.

Which comes as no great surprise to me, for I strongly believe that sports are an emotional outlet, just as television and motion pictures are.

Professional football operations will be preserved in the 23 cities and 25 stadiums where such operations are presently being conducted.

During most of Bell's term of office, the league had 12 teams; there now are 26, which makes it much easier for a commissioner to operate.

In fact, an awful lot of N.F.L. club owners have practically no influence on their players at all, simply because they're not full-time working owners.

The charge of stacking has no validity and, as far as black quarterbacks are concerned, the N.F.L. has had more than many people realize.