Twitter's Anthony Noto was reportedly on the shortlist to be the next commissioner of the NFL
Noto served as the NFL's finance chief from 2008 to 2010.
When Noto grew bored with the job, some of the league's key figures - including the current commissioner - tried to convince him not to leave, according to the report.
"NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Roberg Kraft indicated that he would be a strong contender to be the next commissioner, but Mr. Noto didn't want to wait around," the Wall Street Journal says, quoting anonymous sources.
Noto, who played football at West Point, left the NFL to be an investment banker at Goldman Sachs where he was the lead underwriter for Twitter's IPO. He joined Twitter as CFO a couple of years later.