NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addressed a possible vote that would allow flexible scheduling for Thursday Night Football in Weeks 14 through 17. Here’s what you need to know:
- The vote is intended to provide fans with higher-quality matchups later in the season.
- If approved, the league could shift teams from a Sunday afternoon game to Thursday night in Weeks 14 to 17 with 15 days’ notice. NFL owners chose not to vote on this proposal yet.
- The NFL did, however, approve a measure that would allow every team to play on two short weeks. It previously was only one week.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Why TNF flex scheduling is being discussed
Not everyone is a fan of the Thursday Night flex proposal and the idea of teams playing more than one Thursday game. Players already loathe playing Thursday games because of the short turnaround and reduced healing times. Giants owner John Mara told reporters he finds the idea “abusive,” and there also has been some concern that flexing Thursday games causes challenges for fans hoping to attend games.
But Goodell made it clear that the league, while always committed to delivering the best product to fans in attendance, serving the larger audience that is the TV audience, is a high priority. That’s because television revenue drives the machine.
Amazon paid the NFL $11 billion for the rights to Thursday night games for the next 11 seasons, so the league and its owners are highly motivated to ensure they give the company highly attractive matchups. It remains to be seen if the necessary 24 of 32 owners will vote to approve the Thursday flex during the May meetings, but it’s clear why the possibility is being discussed. — Jones
A risk going with TNF flex scheduling
The decision may bring higher ratings, which translate into greater financial returns in the long run, but there is indeed a risk, which involves further angering and alienating players, who already feel like the league doesn’t care about their health and well-being. Players started voicing displeasure over the proposal on social media, but Goodell insisted “I don’t think we’re putting Amazon over our players. We’ve always been (looking) at data with respect to injuries and the impact on players.”
He went on to say that players have expressed their approval of the 10-day layoff that follows Thursday Night games and concluded “Players have their views. Coaches have their views. We have to try to balance all of that.” But ultimately, the owners will get what they want. — Jones
What they are saying
“Providing the best matchups for our fans is part of what we do. It’s part of what our scheduling has always focused on. Flex has been a part of that,” Goodell said. “We are very judicious with it and are very careful with it and we look at all of the impacts to that. Before those decisions are made I think we average, in the years we’ve done it, about a flex-and-a-half a year. It can vary any particular year. It’s a very important thing for us to balance with the season-ticket holders and in-stadium audience. We have millions of fans who also watch on television. Reaching them is a balance.”
Goodell later added that he does not see this decision going against player interests.
“We’ve always been (looking) at data with respect to injuries,” he said. “That is what drove our decisions throughout the first 12 or so years of Thursday Night Football and how it’s evolved. I think the data was very clear: it doesn’t show a higher injury rate. But we recognize shorter weeks. We went through this with COVID too.”
Mara told reporters on Tuesday he was “adamantly opposed” to the TNF flexing proposal.
Giants’ John Mara is “adamantly opposed” to TNF flex scheduling proposal pic.twitter.com/JIUoo5kTec
— Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) March 29, 2023
Required reading
(Photo: Kirby Lee / USA Today)
Roger Goodell defends Thursday Night Football flex proposal, NFL owners postpone vote - The Athletic
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