Pete Rozelle Quotations

Rather than saying that the commissioner is hired by the owners and therefore is subservient to them, you have to look at whether or not the players are getting a fair shake.

Considering what Americans have been confronted with in the last ten years, domestically and internationally, it's clear that we need emotional outlets; we have to have some peace from our problems

I don't know if 1300 players could really participate in the selection of a commissioner, and I've never given it a great deal of thought. I think it's a logical point they could make, but it's only an academic one

At least I'm going into the job with clean hands.

The most difficult owner for me was the late George Marshall of Washington.

I'm not claiming that football is the nation's salvation in this area, but it's one of them, one little thing that apparently has captured the imagination of a large sector of our society. But when football can't be a relatively pure outlet, a fun thing, then it hurts itself.

There are a lot more TV sets in use on Monday night than on Sunday afternoon.

In fact, an awful lot of N.F.L. club owners have practically no influence on their players at all, simply because they're not full-time working owners.

Which comes as no great surprise to me, for I strongly believe that sports are an emotional outlet, just as television and motion pictures are.

During most of Bell's term of office, the league had 12 teams; there now are 26, which makes it much easier for a commissioner to operate.