And that was when Goodell was reportedly pulling down a paltry $20 million a year. On Friday, we learned that the number was actually $29.5 million. But how did we come into this information? Did Rog leave his pay stubs nike nfl jerseys lying around company headquarters? Was it leaked to make him look bad?
No and no. Turns out, the multi-billion dollar money-making machine that is the NFL is, in the eyes of the government, a nonprofit organization. Thanks to an exemption written into the tax nfl nike jerseys code, the league is exempt from federal corporate taxes. U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) explained the particulars in Wastebook 2012 (via this story in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Jay Bookman published in October 2012, by way of Deadspin):
In 2010, the registered NFL nonprofit alone received $184 million from its 32 member teams. It holds over $1 billion in assets. Together with its subsidiaries and teams -- many of which are for-profit, taxed entities -- the NFL generates an estimated $9 billion annually. Each of its teams are among the top 50 most expensive sports teams in the world, ranking alongside the world's famous soccer teams. Almost half of professional football teams are valued at over $1 billion….
League commissioners and officials benefit from the cheap jersey nonprofit status of their organizations. Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, reported $11.6 million in salary and perks in 2010 alone. Goodell's salary will reportedly reach $20 million in 2019. Steve Bornstein, the executive vice president of media, made $12.2 million in 2010. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue earned $8.5 million from the league in 2010. The league paid five other officials a total of $19.2 million in just one year. In comparison, the next highest salary of a traditional nonprofit CEO is $3.4 million.