Roger Goodell fires back at Kyle Shanahan's Australia game criticism
The NFL commissioner wanted the 49ers coach to know he and the league are making sure the Australia game will be as good of an experience as possible.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't mince words when discussing his team's upcoming Week 1 game in Melbourne, Australia against the Los Angeles Rams. Shanahan said he "didn't see any pro" to playing that far away from home, and added that "as far as the team doing it, no, there's not much benefit to it. Sometimes it's nice to get a bye week after, but it doesn't happen in Week 1".
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell heard Shanahan's remarks, but noted this week during a trip to Australia that he and the league would make sure that the experience was a good one for Shanahan, his staff and both teams. He also joked that he had an app for Shanahan to use to help with jet lag and the 17-hour time difference. "Coaches have a focus on winning.
That's their No. 1 job," Goodell said. "And so Coach Shanahan is enthusiastic and a great football coach, but also someone who truly understands the importance of expanding our game globally.
But his job is to win. His job is to play. "So, we're going to make it a great experience for the team.