NFL Volunteers To Give Up Tax-Exempt Status

Every so often, in a bid to sound threatening, a member of Congress has vowed to revoke the NFL’s tax-exempt status. Now Commissioner Roger Goodell says the league will give it up voluntarily to “eliminate this distraction.” One result is that Goodell’s compensation — about $35 million 2013, and approximately $44 million in 2012 — will no longer need to be made public.

In fact, the move may not cost the NFL all that much money anyway. What some feel really gives the NFL underserved leverage, is is anti-trust exemption. That enables billions of dollars in broadcast revenue because, hey, there’s no competition. Almost on cue, an unimpressed Connecticut Sen. Blumenthal said he would reintroduce legislation calling for a review of antitrust exemptions for the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL.

ABC’s Scott Goldberg joined us to discuss Wednesday morning.

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