FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 17th, 2020

ROGER GOODELL ON NFL DRAFT & SCHEDULE RELEASE; JAY MONAHAN ON GOLF’S NEW SCHEDULE — QUOTES FROM TODAY’S EPISODES OF LUNCH TALK LIVE WITH MIKE TIRICO AND THE RICH EISEN SHOW ON NBCSN

“It’s important to have normalcy…We’re doing this in a way that I think demonstrates that you can continue to do what we need to do in this country and do it safely from home.” – Roger Goodell on holding the NFL Draft next week

“We really felt it was important to be able to set a starting point. To showcase our schedule so our players can get ready, so our fans can feel inspired.” – Jay Monahan on announcing golf’s new schedule

 “I feel like I’m Superman. I do everything to keep my body in tiptop shape. It’s my job to do that and I still was able to contract this virus. So it’s very, very serious.Von Miller on testing positive for COVID-19

STAMFORD, Conn. – April 17, 2020 – Mike Tirico hosted today’s episode of Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN and was joined remotely by:

    • PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan
    • Former INDYCAR and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick
    • Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone
    • NBC Sports’ Liam McHugh

 

The Rich Eisen Show followed Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN, as host Rich Eisen was joined by:

    • NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell
    • Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller
    • Actor Jeffrey Wright from HBO’s “Westworld”
    • CBS NFL analyst Charles Davis
    • NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah
    • Actor Tom Everett Scott

 

Following are highlights from The Rich Eisen Show on NBCSN:

Roger Goodell on holding the NFL Draft next week: “It’s important to have normalcy…We’re doing this in a way that I think demonstrates that you can continue to do what we need to do in this country and do it safely from home…Our clubs want their roster finalized, they want to be moving forward…We want to keep on schedule as best we can.”

Goodell on the draft and hosting the Draft-A-Thon Live: “All of this hopefully will inspire our country, but also it’s giving us a platform to thank the people that are on the frontline…We have a great opportunity here to provide relief funds for so many people that are in need today.”

Goodell on the NFL schedule release and future plans: “We are planning on putting our game schedule out by May 9…We’re planning and working towards staying on schedule…We intend to do everything possible to stay focused on that and be prepared to execute on that because that’s where we think we’ll be.”

Goodell on if the NFL is considering a truncated season: “We consider public safety in everything that we do…so we’re obviously going to have that in our forefront when we’re making all of our plans…We’ll be prepared for all alternatives.”

Von Miller on testing positive for COVID-19 and the precautions he was taking: “I am feeling as good as I can feel…I was taking it serious. I was keeping the number of people down that come inside the house…We have all been taking the precautions and doing everything everybody has been telling us and it still got us.”

Miller on COVID-19: “I feel like I’m Superman. I do everything to keep my body in tiptop shape. It’s my job to do that and I still was able to contract this virus. So it’s very, very serious and I want people to take it serious.”

Miller on trying to return to football: “Whatever it is we got to do, I just want it to be safe so we can get through this and we can be done with it.”

Daniel Jeremiah on Cincinnati drafting Joe Burrow No. 1 overall: “I feel like that is a certainty there.”

Jeremiah on if the Lions will trade out of the No. 3 pick: “That is the storyline to follow in the draft. That is the number one story in my opinion.”

Daniel Jeremiah on having the Dolphins taking Justin Herbert over Tua Tagovailoa in his mock draft: “My evaluation is you take Tua…When I hear there is a split in the room — and I have heard that from multiple people — if there is not a unanimous opinion on those guys, I think it would lean towards the healthier player getting the nod.”

Jeremiah on teams looking to trade up for an offensive tackle: “The spot you want to get to is Jacksonville (at No. 9). I have been told by multiple teams that Jacksonville is willing to and could be looking to get out.”

Jeffrey Wright on Marshawn Lynch appearing in an episode of HBO’s Westworld: “I had to go over and just meet him and say hello. He is a great dude. Great character, really open, really loved being on-set with us. And then cut to two months later, he is back on the field.”

Following are highlights from Lunch Talk Live on NBCSN:

Jay Monahan on how golf can begin to return: “We need to have widespread, large-scale testing across our country. We are going to need to be able to test players, caddies, and other constituents before we return, but we need to do so in a way that’s not going to take away from the critical need that we’re currently facing. And we feel confident based on the advice that we’re getting from medical experts, that we’ll be in that position.”

Monahan on golf’s new schedule: “In establishing that schedule, how do you do so in the safest, most responsible manner? And our team continues to work very hard on that front, and I’m confident that when we do resume play, that’s exactly the environment that we’re going to create.”

Monahan on playing the first four events without spectators upon resuming the season: “We’re hopeful that we’re going to return, and we’re going to play those four events without spectators, but we’re also highly aware that that could change. But we really felt it was important to be able to set a starting point. To showcase our schedule so our players can get ready, so our fans can feel inspired. But the number one goal here…is that when we return, we’re doing so in the safest and most responsible manner possible.”

Liam McHugh on coronavirus pandemic: “This is one of those situations where I know we’ve been social distancing — and we do feel like it’s making a dent, it’s making an impact — but it’s not over. We’re still dealing with this, it is very real, and I think players of the stature, the prominence of a guy like Von Miller, coming out and telling us what he’s dealing with, it’s important.”

McHugh on the potential resumption of the NHL season: “I just would say this, if we’re going to come back to empty arenas — which it looks like that’s a very strong possibility that we’re going to — I do like the idea of this centralized playoffs. If you can go to one area, I think you can do it.”

Doug Marrone on feeling comfortable with Gardner Minshew as the Jaguars QB: “Whenever the pressure was at its highest, he performed at his best.”

Marrone on the challenges of this offseason: “The challenge for me is not how do we get the players ready with the virtual stuff that’s going on or any of that, but the challenge is how do you get these guys together where you start creating that chemistry, you start creating that foundation.”

Danica Patrick on her trip back to the United States with Aaron Rodgers as the coronavirus pandemic begun: “When we got (to the airport), it was just crazy. There were just people everywhere. It kind of reminded me of standing on the grid before any race.”

Patrick on being in the spotlight as a NASCAR driver while being an introvert: “I think that I disassociated myself from the dive into it, really. There would be people on race weekends that I would meet that I wouldn’t remember because I was narrowly focused on the job and the rest of it was just something that happened. I knew how to put on the mask or the face that I needed to.”

–NBC SPORTS–