Levy Finished Second

NORTHBROOK, Ill.--Washington attorney Gregg Levy, the NFL's chief outside counsel, finished second in the commissioner race.

The owners had agreed Monday to keep all five finalists under consideration for at least the first three ballots. After that, outgoing commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his eight-owner search committee had the authority to pare the field of candidates.

By the fourth ballot today, Tagliabue and the search committee had eliminated the three candidates from outside the league--attorney Frederick Nance and business executives Robert Reynolds and Mayo Shattuck III.

"The internal candidates, they just know so much," Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said.

The owners elected Roger Goodell on the fifth ballot. Goodell was elected by a vote of 23-8, with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis reverting to his long-time practice of abstaining after he'd voted in favor of the labor and revenue-sharing settlement in March. It required at least 22 votes to elect a new commissioner. The owners then, by acclamation, made the vote unanimous.

The vote demonstrated that all the conventional wisdom entering this owners' meeting had been on target: Goodell was the overwhelming favorite. The outside candidates didn't have a chance. And Levy was the only viable alternative to Goodell.

"Gregg Levy is very qualified," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Goodell was elected. "He understands the league."

By Mark Maske |  August 8, 2006; 11:31 PM ET  | Category:  Commissioner
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