Reuters reported earlier today that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is taking a 20 percent pay cut as the league announced layoffs of 169 employees.  There’s no word yet from Ben Schwartz on my proposal that he and other CSTB contributors follow suit by accepting 80% of their current blogging fees rather than watch their junior colleagues face termination.

Goodell took a voluntary cut from the $11 million salary plus bonuses he was to receive for 2008 and agreed to freeze his salary for 2009 along with other executive staff, the league said.

The job cuts, made in response to the struggling economy, represented 15 percent of NFL staff and affected the New York business office, NFL Films in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and the NFL Network and NFL.com production in Los Angeles.

They were made through a combination of buyouts, layoffs and open jobs not filled.

“It will continue to take collective sacrifice to get through this challenging economic environment, but these and other steps by our office and clubs will enable us to be more efficient and better positioned for future growth,” the NFL said in a statement.