Paul Tagliabue Paul John Tagliabue ( born November 24 , 1940 ) is a former Commissioner of the National Football League . He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell , who was elected to the position on August 8 , 2006 . Tagliabue ' s retirement took effect on September 1 , 2006 . He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL . Tagliabue is currently the chair of Georgetown University ' s board of directors . Background . Tagliabue was born in Jersey City , New Jersey , the third of four sons of Charles and May Tagliabue . He is of Italian descent . Tagliabue received an athletic scholarship to play basketball at Georgetown University and was captain of the 1961 - 1962 team . He graduated in 1962 as president of his senior class , a Rhodes Scholar finalist and a Dean ' s List graduate . Tagliabue graduated from New York University School of Law in 1965 . He has received honorary degrees from Colgate University and Northeastern University . From 1969 to 1989 , Tagliabue practiced law with the elite Washington , D . C . firm Covington & Burling . National Football League . After serving as a lawyer for the NFL , Tagliabue was selected by NFL owners to succeed Pete Rozelle as Commissioner of the NFL in 1989 . Expansion of the league . During his tenure as commissioner , the NFL expanded from 28 teams to 32 . New franchises were announced in 1993 to begin play in 1995 in Charlotte and Jacksonville . Subsequent moves by other teams resulted in a 31st team being added at Cleveland in 1999 ; this team , though technically an expansion team , inherited the name , colors , and history ( including all team and individual records ) from the Cleveland Browns , who had relocated to Baltimore in 1996 as the Baltimore Ravens . The 32nd franchise was the Houston Texans , added in 2002 . Team movements . In 1995 , Los Angeles lost both its franchises , as the Rams relocated to St . Louis , and the Raiders returned to Oakland . In 1996 , the Browns moved to Baltimore , under a new name , as indicated above . In 1997 , the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee , for one year in Memphis and another year using Vanderbilt as their home field . ( The team changed its name from the Oilers to the Titans upon moving to their permanent stadium in Nashville . ) Response to September 11 attacks . Two days after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon , Tagliabue announced that the games scheduled for the upcoming weekend were cancelled , citing the magnitude of the events and security concerns . It was the first time the league canceled an entire week ' s slate of games since the 1987 NFL strike . A week later , it was announced that the postponed games would be added to the end of the regular season , pushing the Super Bowl into February for the first time . Legacy . Tagliabue has been praised for these politically - related actions taken as NFL commissioner : Post - NFL career . Tagliabue returned to Covington & Burling where he serves as senior of counsel . In 2008 , Tagliabue was selected to serve a three year term as chairman of Georgetown University ' s board of directors . Tagliabue has also been honored for his work with gay rights group PFLAG . In 2012 , Tagliabue was appointed by current NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to hear the appeals of the players suspended in the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal . Awards . 1992 Eagle Award from the United States Sports Academy . The Eagle Award is the Academy ' s highest international honor and was awarded to Tagliabue for his significant contributions to international sport .