Pablo Torre Finds Out: "What NFL Owners Don't Want You to Know"

Host: Pablo Torre
Guest: Don Van Natta Jr.
Date: February 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this deep-dive episode, Pablo Torre sits down with acclaimed investigative journalist Don Van Natta Jr. to unravel the enduring power, internal dynamics, and rarely discussed secrets of NFL owners. Recorded during Super Bowl week, their candid conversation goes well beyond football, delving into how the NFL has weathered scandals, navigated egos among billionaire owners, and maintained its cultural primacy in America. With fresh reporting and revealing anecdotes, the episode explores why the league seems indestructible—and what happens behind the locked doors where its fate is really decided.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Don Van Natta’s Investigative Credentials (00:34–01:40)

• Background: Don recounts his path from Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Andrew and 9/11 to investigating powerful institutions like the CIA, Pentagon, and ultimately, the NFL.
  • Quote: "Covering the CIA, the Pentagon... prepared me for covering the National Football League." (01:40, Don Van Natta)

2. The NFL’s “Indestructibility” and Greed (02:00–04:47)

• The league’s dominance defies predictions—like Mark Cuban’s 2014 warning of an impending “implosion.” NFL ratings and revenues keep soaring despite accusations of "getting hoggy."
  • Quote: "I just don't know if there's a worse prediction in our business." (03:27, Pablo Torre)
  • 72 of top 100 U.S. TV broadcasts were NFL games this year; league revenue has surpassed $20 billion.

3. Surviving Scandal—What Shields the NFL? (05:31–10:37)

• Pablo and Don detail the NFL’s response to crises: CTE/concussions, domestic violence (Ray Rice), Spygate, Deflategate, “Bountygate,” and problematic owner comments.
  • Don credits “smart crisis communication” and Roger Goodell’s willingness to take the heat for owners, often at significant personal cost.
  • Quote: "Roger was not truthful in that autumn... he did what he was hired to do." (08:14–09:12, Don Van Natta)
  • The addictive, tribal nature of the product means scandal rarely dents viewership.

4. Inside the Owners’ Club: Myth vs. Reality (10:37–14:35)

• The “membership”— NFL’s 31 billionaire owners + Green Bay’s unique democratic model—form a gilded, insular “trade association.”
  • Quote: "They have massive egos... They don't like each other." (11:55, Don Van Natta)
• Not as clever as often assumed, but highly competitive, and rarely capable of grand conspiracies.
• Intense rivalries and resentment, particularly when it comes to discipline and favoritism by the commissioner.

5. Scandals, Punishments, and Power Dynamics—Spygate to Deflategate (14:35–18:35)

• Goodell’s handling of major cheating scandals reveals owner politics: Spygate punishment was seen as soft due to Robert Kraft’s support of Goodell’s appointment.
  • Quote: "Jeff Pash smashed [videotapes] under his wingtips... talk about a coverup." (13:03, Don Van Natta)
• Later, harsher punishment in Deflategate was partly owner payback, not just concern about “the integrity of the game.”

6. The Inner Sanctum—Who Really Holds Power? (18:35–21:28)

• The real influence lies with core “power owners”: Kraft, Jones, Mara, Kroenke, Hunt, Lurie.
  • Their dominance in key committees lets them shape policy—always with an eye toward growing revenue.
  • Quote: "It's always about: do we have enough leverage to take us to the next level of money?" (19:50, Don Van Natta)
• Owners are wary of changing leadership; a 2017 attempt to replace Goodell stalled because there was “no better alternative.”

7. What Makes Goodell Untouchable? (22:04–24:04)

• Superpower: Skyrocketing team valuations, not public approval.
  • Quote: "The Dallas Cowboys in 2006... worth just over a billion; today, $10–15 billion." (22:53, Don Van Natta)
• The only thing owners care about more than public perception is their franchise’s rising price tag.

8. Jerry Jones: Shadow Commissioner & Master Promoter (24:04–26:47)

• Jerry’s longevity, boldness, and relentless PR keep both the Cowboys and NFL relevant regardless of on-field performance.
  • Quote: "Jerry is a master at promotion—365 days a year." (25:19, Don Van Natta)
  • Still, the only thing he can't buy: another Super Bowl (30-year drought and counting).

9. On-Field Success ≠ Boardroom Power (26:47–28:55)

• NFL’s “socialist” system: Revenue sharing means poor performance rarely means poor profits; no European-style relegation.
  • Quote: "If you don't even make the playoffs... the dollars keep rolling in." (28:55, Don Van Natta)

10. Robert Kraft’s Hall of Fame Campaign & Narrative Control (28:55–33:16)

• Kraft’s exertions—including subtle (and not-so-subtle) media influence—have not gotten him into the Hall of Fame.
  • Quote: "This book was sent… to voters... it was the argument for Robert Kraft." (31:51, Don Van Natta)
• Owners vie not just for money, but for status and recognition that even billions can’t guarantee.

11. The Fall of Dan Snyder (33:16–39:29)

• Snyder’s alienation of “the membership,” not just scandals, was his undoing. Even Jerry Jones eventually withdrew support after Snyder allegedly tried to blackmail fellow owners.
  • Quote: "He had dug up dirt on Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones... I can blow up the whole league." (36:29, Don Van Natta)
  • Final ouster required intervention from an icon: "Joe Gibbs… had to come and say to Snyder, it’s time." (39:00)
  • Memorable moment: "There was literal sewage flowing out of the building." (38:52, Pablo Torre)

12. Navigating Tragedy: The Damar Hamlin Crisis (40:04–43:12)

• The league’s “worst nightmare” almost came true with Damar Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest.
  • Goodell’s main concern: “what it would do to the business.” (40:45, Don Van Natta)
  • Quote: "It was the players, the Bills and Bengals, coaches on the field, who said, we're not playing... one of those occasions where... the players made the decision." (42:23, Don Van Natta)
• NFL’s reflexive instinct: the show must go on, disrupted for once by collective humanity on the field.

13. Why We’re Still Watching—And What’s Next (43:37–46:27)

• Despite serial expansion and continuous crises, fan appetite remains insatiable.
  • NFL is "built for television and it's a communal experience... nostalgia... it has a stranglehold on our emotions." (45:06, Don Van Natta)
• Goodell and owners now operate with supreme confidence, knowing the “addictive, indestructible” nature of football in America (46:12).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the futility of predicting NFL’s collapse:
  "I just don't know if there's a worse prediction in our business." (03:27, Pablo Torre)
• On owner camaraderie:
  "They don't like each other." (11:55, Don Van Natta)
• On Spygate evidence:
  "Jeff Pash smashed [videotapes] under his wingtips..." (13:03, Don Van Natta)
• Jerry Jones’ bluntness on scandals:
  "This is a pimple on a baby's ass." (24:57, Jerry Jones via Don Van Natta)
• On status in the NFL:
  "The one thing they cannot buy... there are some things they cannot buy." (14:51, Pablo Torre)
• On the club’s solidarity against Snyder:
  "We all just hate Dan." (39:37, Don Van Natta)
• On the NFL’s emotional pull:
  "It's hardwired to nostalgia… it has this stranglehold on our emotions." (45:06, Don Van Natta)
• On football’s ‘bet’ on indestructibility:
  "Addictive, indestructible. And so far, that bet has paid off." (46:21, Don Van Natta)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Don Van Natta’s background and journalistic path — 00:34–01:40
• Mark Cuban’s failed prediction & NFL’s continued dominance — 02:00–04:47
• Scandals: CTE, Ray Rice, Spygate, etc. — 05:31–10:37
• Inside the power structure: Owner rivalries & agendas — 10:37–14:35
• Scandal handling: Spygate, Deflategate, Jerry vs. Goodell — 14:35–18:35
• Inner sanctum and the “power brokers” — 18:35–21:28
• Who can replace Goodell? Why hasn’t anyone? — 20:10–22:04
• Goodell’s “value over replacement commissioner” — 22:04–24:04
• Jerry Jones’ methods and influence — 24:04–26:47
• On-field success vs. power; NFL's 'socialism' — 26:47–28:55
• Robert Kraft’s Hall of Fame pursuit & media strategy — 28:55–33:16
• Dan Snyder’s rise, fall, and ouster — 33:16–39:29
• Damar Hamlin and the NFL’s response to on-field tragedy — 40:04–43:12
• The league’s future & football’s emotional grip — 43:37–46:27

Tone & Concluding Takeaways

Pablo and Don balance sharp wit and grave analysis, exposing the cracks and contradictions beneath NFL owners’ unified façade. They reveal the real substance of power in America’s biggest game—ego, money, reputation—while acknowledging the sport’s ongoing stranglehold on fans’ hearts and screens. The league, they conclude, is both addictive and, at least so far, indestructible.

For anyone fascinated by “how the sausage gets made” at the upper echelons of American sport—or how institutions weather scandal and stay adored—this episode is essential listening.