NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday that he’s “leaving shortly” for France to attend the first-ever NFL game there and he’s confident it will be safe to attend and play the game due in no small part to assurances he received from United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which were confirmed to OutKick by Rubio himself.
“We’re involved at the highest levels both in France on a global basis with our officials here, including, I had a conversation here with the Secretary of State a couple of days ago,” Goodell said at the close of the Fall League Meeting in New York.
“So we’re continuing to make sure we have all the available information, make sure appropriate steps are being made. We’re guests in the country. We’re going to be good guests. We’re going to do our thing and I’m confident they’re going to do theirs.”
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addresses the media at the NFL Annual League Meeting at The Breakers on April 1, 2025. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)
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Rubio on Wednesday confirmed to OutKick and Fox News Digital that he spoke with Goodell.
“Our embassy feels the game will be fine,” Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. “We have no indication the game will be impacted in any way.”
Rubio will not be attending the game but it has nothing to do with recent events.
“I was never planning to go anyways,” 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 turmoil that has resulted in overturned and burned out cars, looted and burned out shops and restaurants and protests by various factions.
“Very high is my comfort level,” Goodell said. “Again, we’ve made all the preparations. We’ve been in touch with all the appropriate authorities.
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“Protests are not unusual in France, as you know. And that’s something that we will be aware of and make sure that the appropriate arrangements are made.”
A protester watches a fire burn at a demonstration in Paris, France, on 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 presidential elections next year. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Multiple media outlets in France have reported that a major protest is scheduled for Saturday – one day before the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints play at Stade de France on Sunday.
The stadium is approximately 20 miles from central Paris where some of the many protests happened over the last week.
The Saints have been in France since Monday without any reported incidents. The Steelers are scheduled to leave Western Pennsylvania on Thursday and arrive on Friday.
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