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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a powerful statement Thursday, condemning the recent senseless shooting in New York City and describing it as an attack on “our way of life.”
Goodell was discussing a shooting rampage in a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper earlier this week, where a gunman killed four people, including an NYPD officer, before taking his own life.
There is a heartbreaking link between the shooter and the NFL, as the building he attacked housed league headquarters, and the assailant left behind a suicide note referring to his chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
The shooter played football, though not in the NFL, and asked for his brain to be studied in the aftermath of his spree.
“There are no excuses for these senseless acts,” Goodell said, speaking to Mike Tirico before the NFL Hall of Fame Game. “They’re hard on all of us to understand. It inflicts pain on people you know, and people you care about, and people you deal with on a daily basis.”
The NYC shooting, which occurred in a bustling area, has sparked widespread outrage and renewed debates over public safety and gun control.
Roger Goodell lamented that these shootings often take place in the most sacred of places. Many, it should be noted, are gun-free zones. New York State has some of the strictest gun laws in the United States.
“As you know, these acts of senseless violence and hatred are happening around our country and world too often – in schools, in churches, in synagogues, in places that this should just not be happening,” Goodell said.
“We all have to continue to be vigilant and continue to protect ourselves, and the NFL’s going to continue to do that with our employees and our people,” he added, before getting choked up about the outpouring of support the league has received.
Commissioner Goodell joins Mike Tirico in the wake of the tragic act of violence in New York City.@SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/SVzVyBeDS3
— NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2025
RELATED: Report: NYPD Officer Among 5 Killed in Midtown Building Shooting That Houses NFL Headquarters
Roger Goodell’s statement serves as a rallying cry for unity and resilience, as he recognizes the NFL is a symbol of American culture.
“Remember, this attack is far more than on several individuals. This is an attack on our humanity, this is an attack on our community, this is an attack on New York, this is an attack on our way of life,” he continued with his somber message.
“All of us have to do more, and make sure we’re doing everything to get help to people who need help. And also, taking necessary precautions. I assure you our employees are going to work hard.”
Goodell typically attends the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, but instead attended the funeral of slain NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who was killed in the shooting at the league’s headquarters.
He described the funeral as...
