NEW YORK — Roger Goodell, the NFL's chief operating officer and one of Paul Tagliabue's chief aides, was one of five finalists announced Sunday to succeed Tagliabue as commissioner.
The 47-year-old Goodell was the only one of the five who actually works in the NFL office although another, Gregg Levy, is the league's outside counsel. That is the same job Tagliabue held when he was elected commissioner in 1989.
The other three finalists are Frederick Nance, a Cleveland lawyer; Robert L. Reynolds, of Concord, Mass., the vice president and chief operating officer of Fidelity Investments; and Mayo A. Shattuck III of Baltimore, chairman of the board, president and CEO of Constellation Energy.
They were selected from a group of 11 semifinalists by a committee of eight owners headed by Pittsburgh's Dan Rooney and Carolina's Jerry Richardson.
The committee had been extremely guarded about the identity of candidates — only Goodell's name was well known when Tagliabue announced his retirement last March and the search committee was announced. The new commissioner is expected to be elected at meetings in Chicago from Aug. 7-9 with the eventual successor to Tagliabue needing votes from 22 of the 32 teams.
Goodell has been with the NFL for almost his entire career, starting as an intern in the league office in 1982 and joining the New York Jets as a public relations intern the following year. He was appointed chief operating officer in 2001.
He has long been considered Tagliabue's heir apparent and is close to Gene Upshaw, the NFL's union head.
The 53-year-old Levy is a partner at Covington & Burling in Washington, which is where Tagliabue worked when he was elected commissioner. He has been the lead counsel in several recent court cases, including the one involving Maurice Clarett.
Nance is managing partner of the Cleveland office of Squire Sanders & Dempsey. The only black finalist, the 52-year-old Nance handled the negotiation for the city of Cleveland when the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 and was the lawyer for the group that developed the construction of the new Browns stadium.
The 54-year-old Reynolds has been vice president of Fidelity's management trust company and held several executive jobs with the firm before that.
The 51-year-old Shattuck, who began his career as an investment banker, worked at Bankers Trust as vice chairman and was chairman of the board at Deutsche Bank in Baltimore before joining Constellation Energy, which ranks 125th on the Fortune 500 list.
PIERCE OUT: Dallas Cowboys tight end Brett Pierce re-injured the same knee ligament he tore last November and will need season-ending surgery. "It's unfortunate because he worked very hard to get back from the original injury," coach Bill Parcells said Sunday. Parcells said the injury happened Saturday during the second practice on the opening day of training camp, and Pierce finished the workout before getting examined.
NINERS SIGN ROMAN: Safety Mark Roman signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, three days after he was cut by the Green Bay Packers. Roman, a seven-year veteran who also played for Cincinnati, appeared in every game over the last two seasons with Green Bay. He had 90 tackles and two interceptions last season. To make room, the 49ers released safety Ben Emanuel, who played sparingly last season.
JENNINGS REPORTS TO SEAHAWKS: The Seattle Seahawks and first-round draft choice Kelly Jennings agreed on a multiyear contract Sunday morning — two days after he was due to report to training camp. Jennings, the 31st overall pick in April's draft, has a starting job to lose over the next six weeks, before the regular season begins.
LIONS SIGN SIMS: Ernie Sims, the ninth overall pick in this year's NFL draft, signed with the Detroit Lions Sunday, leaving only two of the top 10 choices unsigned. Sims agreed to terms Saturday night and reported to the Lions on Sunday after getting a call late Saturday from his agent, Todd France, telling him the deal was done.
INJURED PICKETT CITED: Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Ryan Pickett sustained a mild concussion in a car accident and was cited for failure to yield while turning. Pickett, 26, said Sunday he was sorry about the accident, in which he and another vehicle collided near the Lambeau Field parking lot on Saturday. He said he was on his way home during a lunch break and was making a left turn when a vehicle slammed into the driver-side door of his Ford Expedition. Pickett, who was driving alone, sustained a blow to the head but no other injuries.
RAMS SIGN HILL: The St. Louis Rams agreed to terms Sunday with cornerback Tye Hill, their first-round pick and the 15th overall selection in the draft. Contract terms were not immediately available for Hill, who missed the first six practices. Coach Scott Linehan said the Rams would get the former Clemson player to training camp as soon as possible and expected him on the field for the first of two workouts on Monday.