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A long time Covington partner, Paul Tagliabue uses his experience as chief executive and board member of the National Football League, major businesses and nonprofits to advise clients on matters of public policy, organizational structure and governance and strategic risk mitigation approaches. Mr. Tagliabue serves as a leader of Covington’s Strategic Risk and Crisis Management initiative.
Mr. Tagliabue is regularly engaged in business, higher education and public policy discussions in Brazil, Japan, Qatar and elsewhere with representatives of business, government and academia. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Netshoes, a leading Latin America online retailer, and is the Vice-Chair of Georgetown University's Board of Directors.
- Chaired the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Independent Advisory Committee to assess and revise the Committee’s governance structure and management responsibilities.
- Advised national trade association on trends in board responsibilities for enterprise risk management and in best practices for crisis management.
- Advised major global corporation operating in highly regulated sectors on emerging public policy issues and potential for conflicting government requirements at national, regional and international levels.
- Advised international media rights enterprise on strategic opportunities in U.S. and other major media markets.
Memberships and Affiliations
- Council on Foreign Relations, Member
- Economic Club of Washington, DC
Boards
- NETSHOES Corporate Board (2012 to present)
Not-for-Profit Boards
- Georgetown University (2006 to present)
- Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics (2016 to present)
- State University of New York: Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce, Board Chair (2005-2009)
- United Way of America, Board Member, (1993-2002; Board Chair, 1997-1998)
- National Urban League, former Board Member
- Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Board Member (2005-2009)
Previous Experience
- Mr. Tagliabue served with distinction as NFL Commissioner from 1989 to 2006, presiding over an extended period of labor-management peace and record growth of fan interest and revenue in professional football. During his tenure, the league grew from 28 to 32 teams, secured the largest television contracts in entertainment history, and created the NFL Network. Mr. Tagliabue also led the NFL in dealing with the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Saints and the league.
January 27, 2016
WASHINGTON, DC - Covington’s Paul Tagliabue has been appointed to the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics. Arne Duncan, former U.S. Secretary of Education, and Anna Spangler Nelson, a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, were also named to the commission. The Knight Commission has played an influential and independent role ...
Bringing Olympic values to DCs next generation
December 12, 2014, The Washington Post
Covington's Paul Tagliabue authored this article on the possibility of Washington, D.C. being the venue for summer Olympics 2024: Politicians in Washington may struggle to find common ground, but if one force binds the rest of us in the nation’s capital, it is sports. We Washingtonians are passionate about our teams and appreciate sports for its diversity and ...
May 16, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC, May 16, 2014 — Covington & Burling’s Paul Tagliabue was recognized by Up2Us with its Legacy Award for his commitment to helping the sports-based youth development organization get off the ground. Mr. Tagliabue helped the non-profit group based in New York secure nonprofit tax status from the IRS in 2010, and continues to support Up2Us with pro ...
Covington’s Paul Tagliabue Nominated for CNBC’s First 25: Leaders, Icons and Rebels List
February 7, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC, February 7, 2014 — CNBC named Covington & Burling’s Paul Tagliabue as a nominee for its First 25: Leaders, Icons and Rebels, a list that will mark the 25th anniversary of CNBC by recognizing the 25 individuals who have had the greatest influence, sparked the biggest changes, and caused the most disruption in business over the past quarter ...
May 24, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC, May 24, 2012 — SportsBusiness Journal honored Paul Tagliabue with its Lifetime Achievement Award on May 23 during the fifth annual Sports Business Awards held in New York City. This marks the first year SportsBusiness Journal announced the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award prior to the ceremony, explaining: “We had a change of heart ...
February 16, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2012 — Paul Tagliabue, former National Football League Commissioner and longtime Covington partner and senior counsel, presented the opening remarks at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s “Bow Tie Friday: Sport as a Catalyst for International Development” event on Feb. 10th in Washington, D.C. The panel focused on how ...
Award Created in Honor of Covington’s Paul Tagliabue
January 17, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC, January 17, 2012 — The Fritz Pollard Alliance has created the Paul J. Tagliabue Award of Excellence in honor of the former National Football League Commissioner and longtime Covington partner and senior counsel. The award goes to a league or team executive who demonstrates the integrity and leadership that Mr. Tagliabue showed in developing ...
Education and Sports: Building Well-Being
2012, World Innovation Summit on Education (WISE) Conference, Doha
October 2011, Counsel to Counsel
Covington Advises IMG College in Launch of TV Network for The University of Texas at Austin
January 24, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC, January 24, 2011 — The University of Texas at Austin, ESPN and UT Athletics' multimedia rights partner IMG College have announced a 20-year agreement to create what soon will be the nation's largest 24-hour television network dedicated to covering a university's intercollegiate athletics, music, cultural arts and academic programs. Covington ...
January 6, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC, January 6, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP announced today that it plans to establish a strategic risk and crisis management practice to assist national and international businesses and their managements and boards. Senior members of the group include former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat; former DC ...
September 23, 2010
BEIJING, September 23, 2010 — A range of attendees from the media, sports, and entertainment industries were on hand as Covington & Burling LLP’s Beijing office co-hosted “The Big Event: The New Technologies of Media and Sports” symposium. The half-day event, held on September 21, focused on the use of cutting-edge production, broadcasting, exhibition, and home ...
April 23, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, April 23, 2010 — The NCAA has announced a new 14-year television and new media rights agreement with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., to present the Division I Men's Basketball Championship beginning in 2011 through 2024 for total rights fees of approximately $10.8 billion. As part of the agreement, all games will be shown live ...
Nurturing Human Capital for Long Term Business Success and Economic Growth
2010, Forbes Asia CEO Conference
Paul Tagliabue Tapped to Chair USOC Advisory Committee
11/12/2009
WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP senior of counsel Paul Tagliabue has been appointed by the U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors to chair an outside, independent advisory committee that will review the USOC’s governance structure. The committee will assess the size, structure, and operating practices of the USOC board, and will ...
January 29, 2009, Corporate Counsel
12/11/2008
WASHINGTON, DC, December 11, 2008 — Paul Tagliabue has been named chair of Georgetown University’s Board of Directors. The board unanimously selected Mr. Tagliabue for the position, which carries a three-year term beginning July 1, 2009. Mr. Tagliabue rejoined Covington in December 2007 after serving with distinction as NFL Commissioner for 17 years, presiding ...
Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue Rejoins Covington
12/3/2007
WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Paul Tagliabue, most recently the National Football League’s Commissioner and previously a Covington partner, is rejoining the firm as senior of counsel effective December 1st. Mr. Tagliabue will serve in the firm’s Washington, DC and New York offices, and will advise clients ...
- Chambers USA - America's Leading Business Lawyers, Sports Law (2012, 2014-2016)
- Legal 500 US, Sports (2014-2016)
- U.S. Department of Defense, Secretary of Defense Civilian Meritorious Service Award (1969)
- Sports Business Lifetime Achievement Award, Sports Business Journal (2012)
- Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2012)
- Jackie Robinson Foundation, Humanitarian Award (2012)
- NCAA, Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award (2007)
Practices
Education
New York University School of Law, J.D., 1965
- with honors
Georgetown University, B.A., 1962
- with honors
Government Service
- U.S. Department of Defense
Judicial Clerkship
- Hon. Oscar Davis, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, 1965 - 1966
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia