NEW YORK — Commissioner Roger Goodell was paid $29.49 million by NFL owners in 2011, nearly triple his compensation from the previous year.
Goodell paid more than $29 million
by NFL in 2011
NEW YORK — Commissioner Roger Goodell was paid $29.49 million by NFL owners in 2011, nearly triple his compensation from the previous year.
According to the league’s most recent tax return, much of Goodell’s pay comes in the form of a $22.3 million bonus. His base pay was $3.1 million. The NFL was scheduled to file the return Friday.
While the league declined comment on specifics, it must, by law, make the return available upon request.
In 2011, the NFL went through a long lockout prior to the season. Goodell helped work out a new 10-year labor deal that ended the labor strife. That was followed by lucrative new TV contracts with CBS, ESPN, FOX and NBC.
For the year beginning April 1, 2011, and ending March 31, 2012, Goodell was paid $29,490,000, which included $3,117,000 in base pay, $22,309,000 in bonus and incentive compensation, and most of the rest in “other reported compensation,” the tax return said.
Goodell earned a total of $11.6 million in 2010.
Vikings GM: Team
has ‘no intent’ of trading Harvin
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings have no intention of trading wide receiver Percy Harvin, general manager Rick Spielman said Friday.
Spielman refused to comment specifically on Harvin’s contract situation, citing his usual policy about any Vikings player or coach. Spielman said team officials, as always, will meet next week at the NFL scouting combine with the agents for every player, which of course includes Harvin’s representative, Joel Segal. Spielman declined to address the possibility of negotiating a new deal for Harvin, who will enter the final year of his contract in 2013.
As for the potential of a holdout, should Harvin’s deal not be extended, Spielman said “he’s not going to get into hypotheticals” about that.
“Percy Harvin is under contract and we expect him, just like all of our players under contract, to be here,” Spielman said.
Rams place Titus Young on waivers
ST. LOUIS — Titus Young’s stay with the Rams was brief. The wide receiver has been placed on waivers after only a few days in St. Louis.
Coach Jeff Fisher said Friday the Rams picked up Young before they had much time to do any background checks. He concluded that Young was “not the best option” for the Rams.
“We saw Titus as an outstanding young player,” Fisher said. “We spent time with him, we spent probably four or five days with him. We decided it was best for us to go in a different direction.”
Young was banished three times by the Lions last year because of his behavior, including once for punching teammate Louis Delmas. He recently lashed out at the team on Twitter, posting “If y’all going to cut me let me go. I’m tired of the threats.”
Still, the Rams felt Young, a second-round draft pick in 2010 out of Boise State, was worth a look. Young made 48 receptions with six touchdowns as a rookie, but his production dropped last year to 33 catches and four touchdowns.
Broncos to place franchise
tag on Clady
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Peyton Manning can rest easy: his blindside protector isn’t going anywhere.
Denver Broncos boss John Elway is planning to put the franchise tag on his All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady as early as Tuesday.
A franchise tag would mean a salary of just under $10 million for Clady in 2013, about three times what he earned last season, when he surrendered just one sack in more than 1,100 snaps.
Elway told the Denver Post on Friday the Broncos still hope to work out a multiyear extension with Clady, who is recovering from a recent operation on his right shoulder that kept him out of the Pro Bowl.
Clady rejected a five-year, $50 million offer last summer that included $28 million in guarantees. He wanted something more in line with Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, whose contract averages $11.5 million a season.
Nationals and Zimmermann agree to one-year deal
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals and right-hander Jordan Zimmermann have agreed to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration.
Terms of the deal announced Friday by the Nationals were not immediately known.
The 26-year-old Zimmermann had asked for $5.8 million, while the Nationals submitted $4.6 million. He made $2.3 million last season, when he went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA last season, making 32 starts and pitching 195 2/3 innings.
Washington avoided arbitration with all seven eligible players.
Isner overpowers Malisse in San Jose quarterfinals
SAN JOSE, Calif. — John Isner advanced to the SAP Open semifinals for the first time in his career Friday, overpowering Xavier Malisse 7-6 (8), 6-2 behind his booming serve.
The highest-ranked American saved two break points in a lengthy first-set tiebreaker, relied on his big-finish forehand for two breaks in the second set and never let his strong serve slip during a quick 68-minute match. He will play Saturday against fourth-seeded Tommy Haas, who beat wild-card Steve Johnson 6-4, 6-2.
Isner finished with 10 aces and no double-faults and made 67 percent of his first serves. Perhaps most importantly for Isner, the bone bruise in his right knee that kept him out of the Australian Open is no longer slowing him down.
Bennneteau
shocks Federer in ABN AMRO quarters
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Julien Benneteau upset the sluggish Roger Federer 6-3, 7-5 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament.
Defending champion Federer struggled with his serve and the timing of his ground strokes throughout the match and Benneteau capitalized, punishing Federer on his second serves for his second victory over the Swiss master.
Earlier, Grigor Dimitrov rallied to overcome Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-7 (4), 7-6 (0), 6-3 to advance to the semifinals, where he will meet 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-4.
Gilles Simon advanced in the last quarterfinal after Martin Klizan retired with the score at 6-7 (6), 6-3, 3-0, meaning Simon will face Benneteau in an all-French semifinal.
With third gold
at worlds, Ligety joins ski legends
SCHLADMING, Austria — Ted Ligety has joined some of skiing’s legends. And in doing so, the American catapulted himself into the sport’s biggest spotlight heading into next year’s Sochi Olympics.
By winning Friday’s giant slalom by a massive margin, Ligety became the first man in 45 years to win three gold medals at a skiing world championships — since French great Jean-Claude Killy took home four golds in 1968.
“I still don’t think I recognize what I’ve done this week,” Ligety said. “It’s just been so phenomenal to win three gold medals, especially in two events that I hadn’t won in before.”
Ligety opened the championships last week by winning the super-G, then followed that up with gold in the super-combined Monday — both events he had never won on the World Cup circuit.
By wire sources