Goodell Pitches for New Atlanta Falcons Stadium

National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell pitched his support for building the Atlanta Falcons a new stadium to hundreds of team supporters before Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“I think there’s a recognition that they do need a new stadium,” Goodell reportedly said. “The question is how do you do something that makes sense for the community and how do you combine that with what they want to do with the (World) Congress Center?”

The Falcons currently play home games on artificial turf in the 20-year old enclosed Georgia Dome operated by the Georgia World Congress Center Authority. The authority sold $200 million of bonds for construction of the Dome in 1990.

The team has been negotiating for more than a year for a $1 billion retractable-roof stadium that would be partly publicly financed.

Goodell reportedly said a new stadium would increase the value of the team, and make it more competitive in attracting football’s biggest event, the Super Bowl.

The team has said they hope a deal could be negotiated for a new stadium by the end of the year.

The Falcons remain undefeated this season. They beat the Cowboys 19-13 in Atlanta on Sunday, winning their eighth straight game.

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