Sign up for The Spin to get the top stories in politics delivered to your inbox weekday afternoons.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell kicked off a Douglas Park cleanup on the Southwest Side on Wednesday.
The league hosted a “Huddle for 100” day-of-service in Chicago to mark the start of the NFL’s centennial season on Thursday, the mayor’s office said. Soldier Field will host the NFL season’s opener, which continues the historic rivalry between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
Lightfoot said it was her first time meeting Goodell.
“He’s been very gracious and excited about coming to Chicago for the 100th anniversary of the NFL and the Bears’ beatdown of the Packers tomorrow,” Lightfoot said, referring to Thursday night’s season opener.
Goodell called Lightfoot’s enthusiasm for football awesome.
“This is a great place to celebrate the game of football because it means so much to this community,” Goodell said, “And, when we were talking about where we wanted to start our 100th season, Chicago came right to the top of the list immediately.”
Students from Collins Academy High School and members of the community came out to refurbish a playground and participate in a cleanup scavenger hunt, the mayor’s office said.
After introductory remarks, Lightfoot and Goodell stepped off a stage and surrounded Diane Latiker, the founder of the anti-gang nonprofit organization Kids off the Block. Goodell handed her a football and tickets to the Super Bowl.
“They said I was coming to support the mayor, youth football,” Latiker told the Tribune after receiving the tickets. “I had no idea! I almost fell down!”
Twitter @royalpratt
