After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22 , 1963 , Rozelle wrestled with the decision of whether to cancel that Sunday 's games . Rozelle and White House press secretary Pierre Salinger had been classmates at the University of San Francisco , so Rozelle consulted with him . Salinger urged Rozelle to play the games , so he agreed for the schedule to proceed . Rozelle felt that way , saying : " It has been traditional in sports for athletes to perform in times of great personal tragedy . Football was Mr. Kennedy 's game . He thrived on competition . " After their win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia , players on the Washington Redskins asked Coach Bill McPeak to send the game ball to the White House , thanking Rozelle for allowing the games to be played that weekend , saying that they were " playing ... for President Kennedy and in his memory . " There were players and news outlets that disagreed with the decision , and Rozelle subsequently thought it might have been wiser to cancel those games
assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Pete Rozelle