Roger Goodell Fumbles Announcement of 2022 NFL Draft Location

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had the task of announcing the first, second and third-round picks of the NFL Draft this weekend, and the event turned out to be a big success. However, there was one hiccup made by Goodell when trying to announce the location of the 2022 NFL Draft. During the first night of the draft, Goodell made the announcement of the Las Vegas Raiders hosting the event in 2022. However, he didn’t come close to saying that.

“As you may know, we were scheduled to host the draft in Dallas, excuse me, Las Vegas this year,” Goodell said. “We thank so many for the effort they put forth to prepare that possibility and we think you deserve another shot, so we’re happy here to announce tonight that the Las Vegas Raiders will host the 2020 NFL Draft.” There was some confusion on social media, but the Raiders quickly announced the draft was coming to town in 2022. Also, the NFL sent out a press release which said Vegas would get the nod to host since it couldn’t this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’m pleased to announce that Las Vegas will host the 2022 NFL Draft, where we look forward to holding an even bigger and better event than we could have ever imagined this year,” Goodell said on the press release, “Congratulations to Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the Raiders’ organization and Raider Nation.” With the announcement, the locations for the next three drafts are set. Next year, the Cleveland Browns will host the draft, followed by the Raiders. In 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs will welcome the NFL rookies. Cleveland and Kansas City were awarded the 2021 and 2023 drafts last year.

“We’re thrilled the NFL has given us the opportunity to host the Draft in Las Vegas in 2022. While disappointed we were unable to bring this exciting event to life this year,” Steve Hill said, who is the Chief Executive Officer and President, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), “We plan to make the 87th annual NFL Draft an ONLY VEGAS experience football fans will never forget.”

The NFL was looking to host the draft in Las Vegas to celebrate the Raiders’ move to Sin City from Oakland. This is the second major professional sports team in Las Vegas with the Golden Knights of the NHL starting in 2017.