Roger Goodell addresses NYC office shooting in emotional interview ahead of NFL Hall of Fame game

New York Times

5 days ago

As the NFL begins what's annually regarded as one of the premier celebratory weekends of the year, a cloud of sadness hangs over the league during Hall of Fame weekend.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell did not make the trip to Canton, Ohio, for Thursday evening's Hall of Fame Game between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers. Instead, he stayed back in New York to attend the funeral of Didarul Islam, the NYPD officer who was one of four people killed earlier this week when Shane Tamura opened fire at the Midtown Manhattan high-rise that houses the NFL headquarters and several other prominent companies.
Advertisement
'Tremendous loss,' Goodell said prior to the game in an interview on NBC. 'You see the officer's family, his young children. It's something that happens in the line of work for police officers but that never makes it easy. (He is) somebody who we see outside the building when we come in most every day and it hits home — the loss, the unnecessary and unexplainable loss. It's something that all of us, as New Yorkers, feel great pride in the NYPD and what they do and all the first responders. So, it was a difficult, emotional afternoon, but also a tremendous, heartwarming service for him.'
A moment of silence for the four who lost their lives, including NYPD Officer Islam, and for those who survived and are recovering both physically and emotionally from this horrific tragedy. pic.twitter.com/ISGMKb0KVV
— NFL (@NFL) August 1, 2025
Goodell said he spent an hour in the hospital on Wednesday with Craig Clementi, the NFL employee who was injured in the attack. Goodell said that Clementi is 'stable and improving.'
'We're optimistic about his recovery and I think that's good news for all of us in the NFL,' Goodell said. 'Obviously, our hearts continue to be in support with his family … I think it's something that's really hard for all of us to understand and deal with.'
On Monday, Tamura opened fire at the building at 345 Park Ave., killing four people and injuring a fifth before he shot and killed himself.
Authorities found a note in Tamura's wallet that, according to The New York Times, criticized the NFL for concealing the sport's safety issues, particularly regarding chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated hits to the head, most commonly found in athletes involved in contact sports such as football. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said authorities believe that Tamura, who was 27 and did not play football beyond high school, was focused on the NFL.
Advertisement
Goodell was asked Wednesday about his emotions.
'It's a difficult thing, particularly when you're dealing with a senseless act like this,' Goodell said. 'There are no excuses for those senseless acts. They're hard for all of us to understand when it inflicts pain on people you know and people you care about and people that we deal with on a daily basis. That's particularly hard.
'But as you know, these acts of senseless violence and hatred are happening around our country, and our world, far too often — in schools, in churches and in synagogues, and other places,' Goodell added. 'This should just not be happening, but we all have to continue to be vigilant and do what we can to protect ourselves, and the NFL's going to do that with our employees and our people.'
In the wake of the shooting, the NFL temporarily closed its office Tuesday, with Goodell writing in a memo that employees should plan to work remotely at least through Aug. 8. The league did not release a public statement on the tragedy until Wednesday.
'The NFL is deeply grateful for the global outpouring of support following the tragic act of violence at the New York City building that houses our league office among other organizations,' the statement said. 'We honor the four innocent lives lost, including NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, whose heroism will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with the survivors as they begin the difficult journey of physical and emotional recovery.
'The NFL family is resilient and united, and together, we will find strength in one another as we heal.'
The deceased victims include Islam, an off-duty police officer working private security at the time, along with Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, security guard Aland Etienne and Rudin Management associate Julia Hyman.
Goodell acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but said that the outpouring of support from all over the world has been 'heartwarming' for the league.
Advertisement
'It's good to know that people are behind us,' Goodell said. 'We do believe that the NFL brings people together, and we are going to continue that … it's something that our employees take great pride in.'
He added that Thursday's game is 'beginning that process of making sure people can enjoy the National Football League.'
'We're going to put our employees as our primary focus,' Goodell said. 'But we think we can also continue to bring our country together around our game. I think that will be healing, hopefully for our employees but also remember, this attack is far more than on several individuals. This is an attack on humanity, it's an attack on our communities, it's an attack on New York. This is an attack on our way of life.
'All of us have to do more and make sure we're doing everything to get help to people who need help, and also to take the necessary precautions. I assure you, our employees are going to work hard, we're going to carry on, maybe with broken hearts, but we will carry on.'