NFL's Roger Goodell: 'We Hold On To Hope And Optimism' In Face Of Manhattan Office Shooting
NFL's Manhattan office will remain closed through next week
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in a message to all NFL employees Tuesday evening, tried to strike a hopeful tone amid the tragic mass shooting in the building housing the league's offices in New York City.
"In the midst of this difficult time," Goodell wrote, "we hold on to hope and optimism for healing and brighter days ahead."
Goodell Sends Message Of Encouragement
Monday was the opposite of a bright day as a mass shooter named Shane Devon Tamura shot and killed four people, including a uniformed off-duty police officer, at 345 Park Avenue where the league occupies the fifth, sixth and seventh floors.
Goodell said in a message late Monday that an NFL employee was shot but was in stable condition at a local hospital.
"Our thoughts and prayers remain especially with our colleague who was impacted," Goodell said in his latest message. "He is currently surrounded by his family and members of the NFL community, and we are all continuing to hope for and support his full recovery."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
No Comment About Being Targeted
Goodell's latest message did not offer a comment or response to reports that Tamura was targeting the NFL offices and, indeed, left a so-called suicide note in which he claimed he suffered from CTE and was, wrongly, blaming the NFL.
The building in Manhattan that houses numerous other large companies remained mostly on lockdown on Tuesday, as police continued to conduct its investigation into the shooting.
Workers in the afternoon put up wood boards to cover lobby glass that was shattered by stray bullets.
The New York Police Department responds to reports of an active shooter at 51st Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan on Monday, July 28, 2025, in New York City. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
NFL Offices Will Remain Closed
Goodell told NFL staffers based in New York to plan to work remotely through August 8 at minimum while the office remained closed.
Goodell also scheduled a virtual town hall for his people for Wednesday.
"This has been a challenging time for our entire team," Goodell said. "Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another."