NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that he will “leave soon” to France to attend the first NFL game there and is confident it will be safe to attend and play in the game due in large part to assurances he received from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which were confirmed to OutKick by Rubio himself. “We are involved at the highest levels, both in France and globally, with our officials here, I even had a conversation here with the Secretary of State a couple of days ago,” Goodell “So we continue to make sure that we have all the information available, that the appropriate measures are being taken. We are guests in the country. We will be good guests. We are going to do our thing and I am sure they will do their thing.” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media at the NFL’s annual league meeting at The Breakers on April 1, 2025. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images) NFL VP SAYS LEAGUE IS ‘VIGILANT’ ABOUT SECURITY FOR FRANCE MEETING, REMAINS CONFIDENT IN PLANSRubio confirmed Wednesday to OutKick and Fox News Digital who spoke with Goodell. “Our embassy believes the game will be fine,” Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. “We have no indication that the game will be affected in any way.” Rubio will not attend the game, but it has nothing to do with recent events. “I never planned to go anyway,” Rubio said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a Cuban-American from Miami, Florida. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) Goodell repeated the message the NFL has been delivering for several days about playing in France amid civil unrest and riots that have resulted in cars overturned and burned, stores and restaurants looted and burned and protests by various factions. “My comfort level is very high,” Goodell said. “Once again, we have made all the preparations. We have been in contact with all relevant authorities. TJ WATT’S WIFE BREAKS RANKS WITH NFL’S MARCH TOWARD PARIS GAME QUESTIONING THE MEANING OF PLAYING THERE “Protests are not unusual in France, as you know. And that is something we will be aware of and ensure that appropriate arrangements are made.” A protester watches a fire at a demonstration in Paris, France, Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Rioters attacked French public buildings and looted stores in cities including Paris as protests against the high cost of living drew more than half a million people, underscoring the nation’s challenges ahead of next year’s presidential election. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images) Several media outlets in France have reported that a large protest is scheduled for Saturday, a day before the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints play at the Stade de France on Sunday. The stadium is approximately 20 miles from central Paris, where some of the many protests have occurred over the past week. The Saints have been in France since Monday without any reported incidents. from western Pennsylvania on Thursday and arriving on Friday. NEWS APP FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO Armando Salguero is OutKick’s senior NFL writer.
