EXCLUSIVE: Secretary of State Marco Rubio assures NFL commissioner that game in France ‘will go well’

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday that he is “leaving soon” for France to attend the first-ever NFL game and he is confident it will be safe to attend and play in the game, thanks in large part to assurances he received from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which were confirmed to OutKick by Rubio himself.

“We are involved at the highest levels in France and globally with our officials here, and I had a conversation here with the secretary of state a few days ago,” Goodell said at the close of the League’s fall meeting in New York.

“So we continue to make sure that we have all the information available and that the appropriate actions are taken. We are guests in the country. We are going to be good guests. We are going to do our job and I am confident that they will do theirs.”

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks to the media during the NFL League Annual Meeting at The Breakers on April 1, 2025. (Jim Rassol-Imagn Images)

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Rubio confirmed to OutKick and Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he had spoken with Goodell.

“Our embassy believes the game will go well,” Rubio told OutKick and Fox News Digital. “We have no indication that the game will be impacted in any way.”

Rubio will not be at the game but that has nothing to do with recent events.

“I never planned to go anyway,” Rubio said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is a Cuban-American originally 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 unrest that has resulted in cars being overturned and burned, stores and restaurants looted and burned and protests by various factions.

“My comfort level is very high,” Goodell said. “Again, we have made all the preparations. We have been in contact with all the relevant authorities.

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“Protests are not uncommon in France, as you know. And this is something we will be aware of and ensure appropriate arrangements are made.”

A protester watches a fire burn during a demonstration in Paris, France, Saturday, October 17, 2026. Rioters attacked French public buildings and looted stores in cities including Paris as demonstrations against the high cost of living drew more than half a million people, highlighting the country’s challenges ahead of next year’s presidential elections. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Several media outlets in France reported that a major protest was planned for Saturday – a day before the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints game at the Stade de France on Sunday.

The stadium is about 20 miles (32 km) from central Paris, where some of the many protests last week took place.

The Saints have been in France since Monday without any reported incidents. The Steelers are scheduled to leave western Pennsylvania on Thursday and arrive Friday.

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