Former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue Dead at 84

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue reportedly died Sunday morning in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, his death followed a battle with Parkinson’s disease. Schefter reports the apparent cause of death was heart failure complicated by the disease.

Tagliabue, a lawyer from Georgetown University, became commissioner of the NFL in 1989 and reigned until September 1, 2006. Under his leadership, the league expanded not only in popularity but in sheer number of teams. The league went from 28 teams to 32 during his tenure, adding the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, and a new Cleveland Browns team to Ohio after the original franchise moved to Baltimore.