The NFL has decided to move ahead the yearly Super Bowl press conference at the Allegiant Stadium. The meeting between league commissioner Roger Goodell and the media is usually later in the week but has been rescheduled to Monday. The move came as a surprise to many as several members of the press will not be in Las Vegas until later in the week.
Im another change to the updated format, the press conference will now only be by invite. Unlike previous years, it will be limited to about 125 members of the press.
For years, the Commissioner's Super Bowl press conference was on Friday. Then, it moved to Wednesday. This year, it's on Monday — and it's by invitation only. https://t.co/IPkPH00adj
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 2, 2024
Historically, the event has been hosted on the Friday prior to the Super Bowl and journalists were permitted to ask questions they saw fit in an open session. It was then moved to the Wednesday before the game. Members of the media will have to plan accordingly and fly out early next year.
The question is being asked whether Goodell could be using this as a way to avoid difficult questions from the media. The NFL commissioner earns a sky-high salary and one of his duties is to be a conduit between NFL teams and the fans and press.
There are several key issues including concussion protocol, diversity issues in the league, the rise in gambling figures, and poor officiating all need to be discussed. Unfortunately, for many journalists, those questions will have to wait until next year and will be only be permitted if you have an invitation.
