A staffer at the NFL’s headquarters in Manhattan was struck by a bullet during Monday’s shooting that killed four people, and continued to warn colleagues to evacuate the building while being transported in an ambulance, according to The Athletic.
Craig Clementi, who works in the league’s finance department, reportedly had been calling other NFL employees to warn them to avoid the building and escape, when a bullet pierced him in the back.
The report notes, “there is a belief” the bullet ricocheted before striking Clementi, who is said to have just welcomed a new baby.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told employees Monday in a letter that a staffer had been “seriously injured” in the fatal event, but did not identify the employee beyond saying the individual is male.
“He is currently in the hospital and in stable condition. NFL staff are at the hospital and we are supporting his family,” Goodell wrote in the message viewed by The Post, while adding “all of our employees are otherwise safe and accounted for.”
Shane Tamura, a 27-year-old Las Vegas resident, entered the 345 Park Avenue skyscraper that hosts the NFL and Blackstone, a financial firm, around 6:30 p.m. ET and killed four people, including a 36-year-old married police officer.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Monday night that Tamura killed officer Didarul Islam before slaying a woman while he continued “spraying” the lobby with bullets.
A man was shot in the lobby and survived, although it has not been confirmed if it was Clementi.
Tamura eventually traveled to the 33rd floor, well above the league’s offices on the fifth through eighth floors, where he died by suicide by shooting himself in the chest.
Here is the latest on the NYC mass shooting:
The Post exclusively reported that Tamura had a note in his pocket, in which he lashed out at the NFL and claimed he had CTE, while mentioning former Steeler Terry Long, who killed himself after drinking antifreeze and later was diagnosed with CTE.
Tamura played high school football in California but it is not believed that he played beyond that level.
“Terry Long, football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,” the note stated, sources told The Post.
“You can’t go against the NFL, they’ll squash you.”
“Please study brain for CTE. I’m sorry. The league knowingly concealed the dangers to our brains to maximize profits. They failed us.”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that there is belief Tamura may have been targeting the NFL office in the building.
Tisch said Monday that police were still investigating the motive for targeting the Midtown building.
“We have reason to believe that he was focused on the NFL agency that was located in the building,” Adams said on “Morning Joe,” according to an MSNBC transcript. “And we’re going to continue to investigate with our federal partners to ensure that we can find a reason and identify of any other weapons. We found an additional weapon in the car that was parked outside at this time.”
