NFL Commissioner Deposition Shown At Super Bowl Seating Trial
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) -- In what may be the one of the only times NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is seen in the Super Bowl seating trial, jurors watched his videotaped deposition from 18 months ago.
On Wednesday afternoon, the plaintiffs' attorney Michael Avenatti called Goodell as a witness. But because he wasn't in the courtroom, Avenatti had to show the jury his previous testimony. Goodell may still testify in court, but only if the NFL's attorneys call him as a witness. No word yet if that will happen.
During the deposition, Goodell told Avenatti that he accepted full responsibility for seating problems at Cowboys stadium saying, "We're not blaming others, we're blaming ourselves." He made a similar statement to reporters the morning after Super Bowl 45. "It's obviously a failure on our behalf, and we have to take responsibility for what happened."
Before the game at Cowboys stadium, fans could be seen and heard chanting, "We want seats, we want seats." Four-hundred didn't get the seats they paid for, or any seats at all. Fourteen-hundred fans had restricted views.
In court, the NFL said the contractor hired by the Dallas Cowboys couldn't install 1200 of the temporary seats properly in time for the game.
In his deposition, Goodell was asked why he didn't discuss the seating problems with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before kick-off. Goodell said, "The Cowboys, specifically Stephen Jones, knew this would be a black eye for the league if we couldn't get the seats done."
During a news conference the morning after the Super Bowl four years ago, CBS 11 asked Goodell if the Cowboys bore any responsibility for the seating problems. Goodell said, "No, we put on this event, no, this was the responsibility of the NFL."
During the deposition, Goodell said he wanted to meet with affected ticket-holders, but that, "Our security people advised me not to see disappointed fans" for his own safety. But Goodell did say that fans he did see, told him they were disappointed, had a bad experience and that they weren't happy.
At one point during the deposition, Avenatti, the plaintiffs' attorney asked Goodell why he didn't tell reporters that there were problems at the stadium with the temporary seating during a news conference two days before the game.
Goodell said his opening statements were usually short and that he was answering questions from reporters, who could ask anything they wished.
Under questioning, Goodell said no reporter asked him about the seating problems.
When asked during the deposition if his staff had prepared answers for him if reporters had asked him about any key challenges in North Texas during Super Bowl week, Goodell said he couldn't recall. But Avenatti told Goodell that the staff's prepared marks advised him to say, "There haven't been challenges." Goodell said if the document said that it's because it was accurate at the time it was written, which was at least one week before the game.
Because of the winter storm, the judge ended proceedings early Wednesday afternoon.
The rest of Goodell's deposition will be played for jurors Thursday afternoon when court resumes.
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