In a purely symbolic move, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made good on his promise, cutting his salary to $1 following the owners decision to lock the players out. Goodell and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash both promised to slice their seven-figure salaries to a single dollar in the event of a lockout, and did so on Saturday. The owners voted to lock the players out on Friday, with the first work stoppage since 1987 beginning at 12 a.m., early Saturday morning.
Goodell isn’t the only one losing money on a lockout, however. Paychecks to players have stopped and personnel throughout the league will be taking forced pay-cuts, as well.
Also taking cuts will be all league personnel at the New York headquarters, NFL Films in Mount Laurel, N.J., and at NFL Network and NFL.com in Culver City. For now, salaries for those league employees will be reduced by 12%.
Goodell and Pash’s decision to take $1 salaries is nothing more than a symbolic public relations move. Goodell reportedly takes in a salary of $10 million per year while Pash brings in $5 million. Cutting their salaries may have some kind of affect, but it’s likely neither will be hurting for cash anytime soon.
More important are the cuts other personnel, including those listed above, have been forced to take. These are people not pulling in six- and seven-figure paychecks, showing the broad reach of the lockout. It’s not just players and executives hit hard, but the people that make the league go. The longer the lockout drags on, the more those personnel stand to lose, with pay-cuts expected to continue growing as the work stoppage rolls on.
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