Photo - Aj Mansour (KFAN)
By: Aj Mansour | KFAN.com
@AjMansourKFAN
Minneapolis, MN - Just when you thought that you've had enough of Vikings super fan Larry Spooner, the NFL schedules a special visit for commissioner Roger Goodell to come into to town and meet the man that most super fans credit with getting the new Vikings stadium done.
In reality, Goodell scheduled his trip to Minnesota on his own to meet with Vikings ownership, but while in town the Vikings did arrange for Goodell to make a stop at Tailgate Lot #1 prior to the Vikings/Titans game Sunday afternoon. After all, we did learn that Goodell's 11-year old daughter is a Vikings fan on the Dan Barreiro Show last week!
After yucking it up with fans, Goodell moved inside the Dome where he had a brief meeting with reporters and the stepped aside for an interview with KFAN's Paul Allen and the Vikings Radio Network. Goodell took the time to cover a handful of issues pertaining to the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL. Most notably was the successful bid that the Vikings put in earlier this year to land a new Stadium.
"I think it's great," Goodell said of the stadium deal. "You have a lot of hard work, a lot of time, a lot of leadership by the public sector and the private sector here in Minneapolis. The fans played a big role here too; I think their constant support of the Vikings helped get it done. I think it is going to be great for this community and I'm excited about seeing some of their plans tomorrow morning."
Speaking of those fans, Goodell shared that the NFL constantly has an open ear to the fans to better improve the league.
"They have been very vocal about what we can do to improve the draft," Goodell said. "They have been very vocal about preseason games. They are vocal about a lot of issues; again we take those into account and try to see what we can do to address them."
One of the more pressing issues for Minnesota and the Minnesota Vikings surrounds the idea of bringing a Super Bowl to Minnesota for the first time since 1991.
"I understand they have indicated an interest in maybe doing it around 2018 or 2019," Goodell shared. "They'll get into the rotation. We still have a couple of years before we even get to considering that. It will be down the road, which is probably good because I think you want to wait and get the stadium up and running."
Goodell went on to share that despite his disappointment in the way that the Replacement Refs situation went down, the outcome of that situation will make the officiating and the league better in the long-term. In regards to the Saints "Bounty-Gate" situation, Goodell simply said, "We're working on it. As soon as we get it done, we'll announce it."
Photo - Aj Mansour (KFAN)
CLICK HERE to see Photos from Sunday's Vikings/Titans game.
CLICK HERE to hear postgame audio from the Vikings Radio network including player interviews and Fanline.
Aj Mansour covers Minnesota Sports for KFAN.com. Feel free to leave comments and questions regarding this post in the space provided below. For Vikings' updates and breaking Vikings' news, follow Aj on Twitter. @AjMansourKFAN
