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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and a host of other league employees will be taking pay cuts or furloughs amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Goodell typically makes over $30 million a year from salaries and bonuses, but he voluntarily reduced his salary to zero on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
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The NFL has yet to announce the move publicly.
The league is also reportedly implementing reductions in base salary, beginning with the pay period ending on May 22. The reduction will be 5 percent for workers up to the manager's level, 7 percent for directors, 10 percent for vice presidents, 12 percent for senior vice presidents and 15 percent for executive vice presidents.
Goodell said that no employee earning a base salary of less than $100,000 will be affected by these reductions, and no employee’s salary will be decreased below $100,000 by the reductions, according to a memo that he sent to league office staffers.
“We hope that business conditions will improve and permit salaries to be returned to their current levels, although we do not know when that will be possible,” Goodell said.
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Goodell said individuals who are unable to perform their duties from home or whose workload has been reduced will enter the furlough program, which will become effective May 8. Those workers who will be furloughed will be informed in the next few days, and they will keep medical, dental and vision benefits. The league will pay the full cost of maintaining those benefits.
“It is important to remember that a furlough is not a termination,” Goodell told league staffers in the memo. “We do not know how long a furlough will last, but we are hopeful that we will be able to return furloughed employees back to work within a few months.”
Pension plan and other contributions will be reduced from 15 percent to 10 percent of eligible compensation, and that is a permanent change that takes effect on July 1.
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“The NFL is not immune to the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is our obligation to take responsible steps to protect the business and manage through this crisis as effectively as possible,” Goodell said.
"These decisions were difficult and we know these measures will cause hardship for those impacted," Goodell added. "I encourage everyone to continue to identify ways of operating more efficiently and reducing costs. If we do that, I believe that furloughs and compensation reductions can be limited, or in time even reversed."
“I assure you that we will continue to monitor economic conditions, communicate with you promptly and openly -- whether the news is good or bad -- and have your interests in mind as decisions are made going forward.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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