Roger Goodell calls New York Super Bowl opportunity 'extraordinary'

Whether that means another cold weather city such as Foxborough, Philadelphia or Denver gets a shot at hosting a Super Bowl, or whether it will come back to New York, or just become a one-shot deal and a slice of NFL history, is unclear. Howard Simmons/New York Daily News

With threat of blizzard gone, Roger Goodell can make light of snowflakes falling behind him and boast about game of historical significance.

Roger Goodell, who was a significant supporter of Super Bowl XLVIII coming to New York-New Jersey, put into perspective how he thinks this week and this game in the world's largest market will be remembered.

'So this opportunity has been, I think, extraordinary, and something that we're all going to look back as a very important time in our history,' Goodell said Friday at his annual Super Bowl news conference.

Whether that means another cold weather city such as Foxborough, Philadelphia or Denver gets a shot at hosting a Super Bowl, or whether it will come back to New York, or just become a one-shot deal and a slice of NFL history, is unclear. But so far it's getting rave reviews around the league.

The NFL office had been on high alert about the weather for Super Bowl Sunday for the last few weeks, even going so far as checking with NASA officials on how they decipher all the different forecasts before a launch.

But now that the weather for Sunday is going to be unseasonably warm - at least during the day with a high of 51 degrees before it dips down to 29 at night - with only a 10% chance of precipitation, Goodell can afford to make weather jokes.

'One unique aspect about the focus for this year's Super Bowl has been on the weather,' he said. 'Of course, we cannot control the weather. I told you we were going to embrace the weather. Here we go.'

Just as he said that, some snowflakes began falling on the stage behind where Goodell was talking. His timing was excellent and he got a bunch of laughs. 'The forecast, despite what you see behind me, is terrific,' he said. 'It's football-ready and just to confirm, we will kick off at 6:30.'

All the contingency plans to shift the game to Friday, Saturday or Monday to work around any potential blizzard have been dumped. Even though it would be a pretty picture on television if there were flurries or even a major snowstorm, unless there's a last-minute change in the weather pattern, there is not expected to be any snow.

So, how has New York done this week?

'It really has been great,' Patriots owner Robert Kraft said. 'I personally wanted to see this in addition to the owners here. After 9/11, I know we were privileged to win the Super Bowl that year just a few months after. It really struck the core of America, and to have this happening here, it's a good signal to the world about how we feel about this region. It's such a vibrant part of America. I love being here and I'm happy the game is here.'

Does he want a Super Bowl in Foxborough?

'Let's see how this goes,' he said. 'I'm a great supporter of playing this game in all elements.'

Goodell praised the work done by all involved in putting this game on.

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'There's been a lot of planning for a lot of months and even years in making this Super Bowl successful, and that's in large part because of the broad metropolitan area that we're in,' he said. 'It's more complex being in a larger area where you're crossing over states and different jurisdictions, but everyone has been fantastic. I can't say enough great things about the people that have been working on this, planning this, the officials who have supported every effort.'

Even though the initial plan was to hold the NFL Experience at the Javits Center. When it was booked, the league came up with the idea of Super Bowl Boulevard on Broadway and it has been drawing large crowds.

'Super Bowl Boulevard is an incredible opportunity for us to share this with our community here in the New York-New Jersey region,' Goodell said. 'I think people are feeling the excitement and the energy, and that's a great thing for us. That's what football's all about. That's what the Super Bowl's all about.'

STATE OF THE NFL Goodell addressed many topics during his 45-minute news conference:

-- The Redskins nickname continues to be a hot topic as many Native Americans find it offensive. Goodell was asked if he would feel comfortable calling a Native American person a Redskin to his or her face. He didn't directly address the question.

'I've been spending the last year talking to many of the leaders in the Native American communities. We are listening. We are trying to make sure we understand the issues,' he said. 'Let me remind you, this is the name of a football team, a football team that has had that name for 80 years and has presented the name in a way that has honored Native Americans.'

-- 49ers tight end Vernon Davis asked a question to Goodell about how those in the NFL play 'one of America's most dangerous and lucrative games, but we still have to fight for health benefits.' He wanted to know 'why the NFL doesn't offer free health care for life, especially for those suffering from brain injury.'

Goodell's answer: 'First off, we had lots of discussions about that in the collective bargaining process. We went back and improved a lot of our health benefits, both for former players and for current players, to the point where I think that the health benefits that are provided to current NFL players are the best in the world, and so I'm proud of what we've been able to do with the union in improving those benefits. We all still have a lot of work to do for former players. The cost of trying to provide health care for every player that has ever played in the league was discussed with the union. It was determined that these changes were the best changes, and that's what we negotiated, but we're all proud of the efforts that we made.'

-- Once again, Goodell was asked about allowing the use of medicinal marijuana. This time the question had a twist to it. He was asked if he would submit to random testing. 'I am randomly tested and I'm happy to say I am clean,' he said.

Even though Colorado and the state of Washington have legalized the sale of marijuana for recreational use and 20 states and Washington, D.C., allow it for medicinal purposes, Goodell said the NFL is not actively considering any plan to allow its use. 'It is still an illegal substance on a national basis,' he said. 'It is something that is a part of our collective bargaining agreement with our players. It is questionable with respect to the positive impact, but there is certainly some very strong evidence to the negative impacts, including addiction and other issues.'

He said the NFL will 'continue to follow the medicine.'

-- The NFL is considering having the league office involved in instant-replay decisions with the referee still determining whether a play is overturned.

The league 'can at least provide some input that would be helpful to the officials on the field to make sure they're seeing every angle, to make sure they have the proper opportunity to make the best decision.'

CHRISTIE'S GOING TO GAME New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie told the Daily News at an NFL party Friday night that he will be attending Super Bowl XLVIII and sitting in the suite of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority.

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