His team was preparing for an upcoming race, riding in what Goodell describes as “a rotating, rhythmic paceline” — something like a bicycle chain in motion, each cyclist a separate link, all sharing the burden of fighting the wind. They were riding at 30 mph when those in front saw traffic slowing sharply ahead. Word didn’t reach the rearmost riders in time, and the group collapsed in on itself. Goodell found himself on the ground, paralyzed from the chest down.
It was another year before doctors were able to remove his feeding tube; a lightweight wheelchair and a specialized stylus further facilitated his return to his career in law. He is now a shareholder at the Hamilton, N.J., firm of Parker McCay, where he practices municipal and land-use law, sports law and litigation. He says his return would have been impossible without a wide net of family, friends and colleagues, starting with his wife, Laurel Pringle Goodell ’80, a lab manager in Princeton University’s Department of Geosciences.
He’s drawn many lessons from the process of recovery, including the importance of perseverance and adaptability. These days, he’s more focused on the essential capital of interpersonal relationships. “I used to be self-sufficient,” he says, “but now, by necessity, I’m much more interconnected. The secret is in sharing the load.”
