Roger Goodell’s 2013 Pay of $35 Million Keeps Him in Top Tier of Executives

Roger Goodell’s 2013 Pay of $35 Million Keeps Him in Top Tier of Executives

Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the N.F.L., was paid $35 million in 2013, a year in which the league signed major television and sponsorship deals and settled a landmark concussion lawsuit, and in which two teams began work on new stadiums.

Goodell’s compensation, released Friday as part of the league’s annual tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service, was about 20 percent lower than in 2012, when it was $44.2 million. But that figure included a one-time deferred payment of $9.1 million.

The commissioner’s compensation in 2013 made him one of the highest-paid chief executives in the United States. He received a $3.5 million base salary, a $31.1 million bonus determined by a small group of N.F.L. owners, and the rest in retirement benefits.

“The commissioner’s total compensation in 2013 is a fair reflection of his leadership and contributions during the year,” Arthur Blank, the chairman of the compensation committee and the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, said in a statement.

Although Goodell’s compensation reflects his performance of more than a year ago, it may still raise eyebrows among those who have criticized him for how he has handled several high-profile domestic violence cases and several other scandals. Last month, Goodell conceded that 2014 had been a tough year but said he had no plans to resign.

Blank said in his statement that “the compensation committee will conduct a thoughtful review and make a determination of 2014 compensation in March.”

Given the N.F.L.’s handling of domestic violence cases, some members of Congress who are critical of the league may again call for the league office’s tax-exempt status to be revoked. One congressman recently called for Goodell to appear on Capitol Hill to defend the league office’s nonprofit status. (The 32 N.F.L. teams pay taxes.)

Those calls have gone unheeded in the past, mainly because the tax code allows industry associations like the league office to operate as nonprofits. The league is also largely unregulated and has many allies in Washington on both sides of the aisle.

Goodell is not paid directly from revenue generated through fans; he is compensated by the 32 N.F.L. owners, who pay millions of dollars in dues each year to run the league. Given the N.F.L.’s revenue relative to that of other leagues, Goodell’s pay is comparable to what former commissioners of Major League Baseball and the N.B.A. have received.

Jeff Pash, the league’s top lawyer, was paid $7.5 million in 2013, and Steve Bornstein, its former executive president of media, received $5.2 million.

The league office’s revenue grew 11 percent, to $327 million, and expenses rose 3.2 percent, to $318 million, during the 12-month tax filing period that began April 1, 2013. During that time, the league closed a $275 million deal with CBS to broadcast games on Thursday nights and neared the completion of another deal with DirecTV, which ultimately agreed to pay $1.5 billion a year to continue showing games.

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The N.F.L. also expanded or introduced sponsorships with Microsoft, Bose and Verizon, among other companies.

And, critically, the league settled two lawsuits. In August 2013, the N.F.L. agreed to pay $765 million to former players, some of whom had claimed that the league hid the dangers of concussions from them. The league subsequently agreed to pay an unlimited amount to players with neurological conditions that can be diagnosed under the terms of the settlement, but the league’s actuaries say they do not expect the total amount paid to exceed the original agreement by much. Either way, the settlement, which has yet to receive final approval from a federal judge, lifted perhaps the darkest legal cloud over the league’s future.

On Friday, lawyers were expected to submit revisions to their settlement that the judge requested two weeks ago.

In a smaller case, also in 2013, the N.F.L. agreed to pay $50 million to settle a lawsuit brought by retired players who said the league had unfairly profited from the use of their images.