NFL commissioner Roger Goodell denies report Seattle Seahawks were fined $5 million
02 February 2026, USA, San Jose: American Football: Professional league NFL, NFL boss Roger Goodell speaks at a press conference before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. (Maximilian Haupt / Picture Alliance / Getty Images)
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell denied a report that the Seattle Seahawks were fined $5 million for violating league rules over ownership requirements at his Super Bowl press conference on Monday.
Amid reports last week that the Seahawks were expected to be put up for sale after the Super Bowl, Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal reported that the team had been fined for being out of compliance with ownership rules as the team remains controlled by the Paul Allen Trust in the wake of his death in 2018.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy denied a fine had been levied to multiple outlets last week, and Goodell reiterated the team has not been fined during his annual Super Bowl press conference.
"The last point is not true on the fine," Goodell said.
Paul Allen signed The Giving Pledge in 2010, which vowed to contribute a large portion of Allen's wealth to philanthropic endeavors. To accomplish that task, the Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers were to be sold. The Blazers are currently in the process of being sold to Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon.
An ESPN report last week indicated the Seahawks would go on sale sometime after Super Bowl LX. The Paul Allen Estate denied that the team was up for sale.
"We don’t comment on rumors or speculation, and the team is not for sale. We’ve already said that will change at some point per Paul’s wishes, but I have no news to share. Our focus right now is winning the Super Bowl and completing the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers in the coming months," the estate said in a statement.
Goodell echoed that statement by saying the team will be sold eventually, but that Jody Allen – the executor of Paul's trust – is the one responsible to make that decision.
"Jody’s doing a great job of managing the team," Goodell said. "(Vice chair Bert Kolde) is here. They’ve done a great job. There in the Super Bowl and I think from that standpoint, they’ve done a really important job in the context of the trust and the execution of that. But eventually the team will need to be sold in accordance with that. That will be Jody’s decision for when she does that, and we will be supportive of that."
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