Texans owner discusses concussion settlement
Texans’ owner Bob McNair says concussion settlement was about protecting the NFL brand
The lawsuit between the NFL and its former players on concussions was something that seemed like it was going to go on forever and end up ugly. Luckily, they were able to come to a $765 million settlement and resolve the issue. Houston Texans owner Bob McNair had some interesting thoughts on the issue.
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In an interview with GQ, McNair shed some light on why the NFL was quick to settle the lawsuit with their former players.
McNair says the NFL wanted to protect the image of the brand rather than have this issue drag on.
“It was about protecting the brand,” McNair said to GQ. “Do we want the brand attacked on this for the next ten years? Or do we want to go ahead and take the high road? In effect, we don’t think most of these concussions referenced even occurred in the NFL, but we’re not going to complain about it.”
The magazine also states that commissioner Roger Goodell met with the owners about finally putting the case to rest.
"And yet even some owners have been frustrated by aspects of Goodell’s tenure. Bob McNair, who owns the Houston Texans and is a Goodell supporter, told me that when Saints owner Tom Benson resigned from three league committees in 2013, Goodell’s pay package and his handling of the Saints’ Bountygate scandal were two reasons."
It’s easy to see why Goodell would want to settle. He wants to protect the shield and be able to continually see the league have effective growth and popularity.
The amount of profits the NFL brings in already is an insane number and Goodell wants to keep it that way along with making more.
However, with concussions and parents not letting their children play football, the league has to worry about long term projections. McNair’s interview sheds some light on the importance of branding and resolving situations quickly for the NFL.
For now though, the league and owners like Bob McNair are making a ton of money.
[H/T: GQ]
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