Paul Tagliabue, who guided the NFL through 17 years of labor peace and expansion, died Sunday at 84 from heart failure in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He had battled Parkinson’s disease.

Serving as commissioner from 1989 to 2006 after Pete Rozelle, Tagliabue oversaw the construction of new stadiums and record-breaking TV contracts that brought billions to the league. Under his leadership, there were no labor stoppages, and he was instrumental in establishing the “Rooney Rule,” requiring teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.

Tagliabue implemented one of sports’ strictest substanceabuse policies and helped strengthen the league’s relationship with players through direct negotiations with union leader Gene Upshaw. His tenure also saw significant team relocations — Los Angeles lost and later regained franchises, and Cleveland’s team moved to Baltimore before being replaced by an expansion Browns.

In 2001, he postponed games following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — a decision widely respected. However, Tagliabue faced criticism for not taking stronger action on concussions, later acknowledging his early comments underestimated the issue.

A former Georgetown basketball captain and Rhodes scholar finalist, Tagliabue became the NFL’s lawyer before being named commissioner in 1989. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.

He is survived by his wife, Chandler, and their two children, Drew and Emily.