on our broadcast tonight, playing defense. the nfl commissioner's first public comments about accusations of cheating before the super bowl and the extreme measures in place tonight to keep everyone there safe. stopping the spread of measles in the same state hosting the super bowl and beyond. tonight, the family of a child who had the vaccine who caught the virus anyway. moment of truth. the decision from mitt romney today about the race for president and how this shakes up the entire race for the white house. and slippery slope. say it ain't so say the kids who love winter as cities and towns ban sledding because they just can't afford the lawsuits over it. "nightly news" begins now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams.

good evening. the state of arizona is 48 hours away from hosting the most-watched and most visible public event in this country. it's a spectacle with a football game in the middle. and it ends a bad year for the nfl, plagued by headlines from domestic abuse to football underinflation. then there's public safety in an era of terrorism. and just as arizona, the host state, is added to the list of places where a measles outbreak has been detected as thousands of people arrive to spend the weekend in close quarters at a public event. we have two reports to start us off tonight. we begin with nbc's ron mott. hey, ron, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. with the clock ticking down to the start of this big football game on sunday, today nfl commissioner roger goodell met with the media and talked about this controversy that a lot of people are saying has left a dark cloud over the super bowl. with deflategate still looming over the super bowl, nfl commissioner roger goodell's state of the league address today was as much about the

state of his leadership as the sport itself. >> it has been a tough year. it's been a tough year on me personally. it's been a year of what i would say humility and learning. it's an opportunity for us, for our organization to get better. so we've all done a lot of soul searching starting with yours truly. >> reporter: goodell has faced withering criticism over his handling of concussions and domestic violence cases involving players and now awaits the league's investigation into underinflated footballs used by star quarterback tom brady. >> we don't know enough in this investigation to know who is responsible or whether there is even an infraction. >> reporter: for the super bowl game balls are handled under a stricter set of rules. a league official said 108 footballs will be inspected and approved for the game. both teams today providing 54 balls for safekeeping this weekend. meantime, supersize security is now in motion with thousands of officers and stadium personnel preparing to protect the 25-acre facility and more than 70,000 fans.

a team of local, state and federal agencies in uniform and undercover screening virtually every square inch. officials aren't just patrolling on the ground. they'll keep close watch of the skies above the stadium. this blackhawk helicopter from the u.s. department of homeland security is just one of the assets that will be safeguarding what will perhaps be the most restricted air space on the planet come super bowl sunday. like the presidential visit, the skies around the stadium are a no-fly zone on game day. wayward aircraft can expect an f-16 fighter escort a muscular show of force at the ready in the wake of recent terror attacks around the world. >> i think the key is vigilance. and we've devoted a lot of resources and a lot of effort to making sure this event is safe and secure. >> reporter: tonight, law enforcement officials tell nbc news they have received no specific credible threats against the super bowl, but of course, brian, they remain on high alert. >> ron mott in the rain tonight in glendale which i'm told is

supposed to let up by game day. ron, thanks. another concern as tense of thousands start to descend on the super bowl continues to be this measles outbreak that has continued to pred to arizona now and over a dozen other states. tonight we're hearing from a mom and dad whose 3-year-old son was hospitalized with measles. and because it's a disease we long ago thought we had eradicated with the help of the vaccine, a lot of doctors have never even seen it in person before this. we get the latest tonight from nbc's hallie jackson. >> reporter: uriah krueger never says no to his favorite game. so a couple weeks ago when he couldn't get out of bed, his parents thought it was just a cold until he woke up in pain with a rash. >> i think my first two immediate responses were first, like measles? what is this 1950? wait a minute. ink he had his shot for that. >> reporter: the krugers had done everything the doctors recommend, but the first of two measles shots, almost always effective, wasn't enough to immuneize their 3-year-old.

>> he has never been sick, so a stethoscope scared him. >> reporter: their little boy hospitalized, just like 15% of patients in this latest outbreak. >> i had to be really, really strong for him. i was like holding him close to me. on the inside, i'm crying. >> there's not really anything you can do for measles rather than just kind of make them comfortable. >> reporter: benadryl, tylenol and iv fluids helped but except for constant visits from doctors who'd never seen measles. >> they would come in and look at him and look at his rash. the see that even ask if they can take a picture of this. >> reporter: uriah was isolated from almost everyone since the virus is so contagious. in arizona just a handful of patients may have exposed thousands of others to measles in that state where huge crowds are arriving for the super bowl. >> measles can spread in any setting, especially in places where many people are unvaccinated. i wouldn't expect the super bowl to be a place where many unvaccinated people are congregating. >> reporter: in california, one doctor's refusing to accept new patients who choose not to vaccinate. >> i should do what i need to do for the patients to keep them

healthy, and not vaccinating makes them vulnerable to measles and they can die from that. >> reporter: luckily it never got that serious for uriah. >> happy, healthy, back to normal. it's been really kind of a joy. >> reporter: he's eating more and playing more. his smile the only thing that's still contagious. and lots of smiles here in phoenix where super bowl parties are getting into full swing. here officials are monitoring things like hospital visits to keep an eye on any public health problems. that's not specifically because of the measles outbreak though, but that outbreak is growing, brian, with late word tonight from california of more reported measles patients. >> hallie jackson in phoenix for us tonight. hallie, thanks. we have an update tonight on what's become a virulent flu season. the cdc says hospitalizations among the elderly from flu are the highest since the government started tracking this stat about a decade ago. it's being blamed on this particularly nasty strain of flu

this year, and a vaccine that sadly has proven only about 23% effective. tonight, there is another big winter storm on the move pushing across the country about to drop more snow on a lot of areas that already have plenty of it. meteorologist janice huff is in the weather center with the forecast. janice, we got a lot of gatherings this weekend. what are we looking at here? >> that's right, brian. you mentioned rain over the super bowl venue in phoenix. that's the energy that will be spreading across the country this weekend producing snow, ice and freezing rain. it starts to move out over the weekend on saturday into the plains. it will be snowing from omaha to chicago by saturday night. then that energy spreads towards new york city on sunday. there will be some heavy rain moving in across west virginia, down through virginia and parts of the southern states also. then the snow spreads into boston around 11:00 on monday. so they could see upwards of another foot of snow there, 6 to

10 inches possible around new york city maybe as much as 6 to 10 inches back to cleveland. there's also windchills for bitter cold temperatures below zero, brian. >> janice huff in the weather center for us tonight as we head into the weekend. janice, thanks. a major decision today in the political world, and it just changed the race for 2016. after much back and forth, two-time presidential candidate mitt romney decided not to run again. but candidly it was a stretch for even loyal republicans to picture romney making a third try. our report tonight from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: while he was convinced the third time could have been the charm, mitt romney, seen here today in new york city told supporters he believes this is the right move. >> you can't imagine how hard it is for ann and me to step aside. i decided it's best to give other leaders in the party the opportunity to become our next nominee. >> reporter: the 2012 republican nominee sounded a lot like a candidate just this week attacking the democrat's 2016 favorite. >> secretary of state hillary clinton cluelessly pressed a reset button for russia.

>> reporter: while in recent days many saw past donors and supporters sign on with other campaigns including his top adviser in iowa now with jeb bush. >> i'm relieved. i admire him, but i don't think he should have run. and i don't think he would have done very well if he had. >> reporter: the carousel of candidates is huge. already more than a dozen republicans have announced fund-raising groups or political action committees. among them chris christie who's joining romney for dinner tonight. today, romney appeared to take a parting shot at bush who he met with in utah last week by tipping his cap to the next generation of republican leaders. >> one who is just getting started may well emerge as being better able to defeat the democrat nominee. >> reporter: leading republicans quickly praised romney's decision. bush on facebook calling him a patriot. compliments from rand paul and marco rubio, too. exactly three weeks after he first flirted with another run, romney's departure is shaking up an already wide-open republican field. peter alexander, nbc news.

we're joined tonight by our political director and moderator of "meet the press," chuck todd. chuck, what just happened here and what does this do to the race? who benefits? >> the campaign is moving so fast candidates now drop out before they actually announce. so that's one part of this. look, i think what happened is the starting gun actually went off on this campaign. and we now know the field. mitt romney getting out actually means this field is set. and this is good news for jeb bush. this is good news for wisconsin governor scott walker. and it's even some hopeful news for a guy like chris christie who's trying to find a place in this race. you saw the graphic there. there are 13 different candidates right now that are fairly serious about running. but i do think that romney looked around and realized i don't know if i can get through this primary gauntlet. and the businessman, the bain capital mitt romney looked at the analytics and said he couldn't do this. now we look and this is now the race for staffers, the race for money. don't expect any more people to jump in. we got our field. and it's going to be wild. >> chuck todd in washington. we'll look for you sunday

morning before we turn our attention to the game. we wanted to let you know among chuck's guests romney's 2012 running mate congressman paul ryan this sunday on "meet the press." music mogul suge knight is being held tonight on $2 million bail accused of a fatal hit-and-run. police say he ran over two men following an argument on a film set in compton, california. one of the victims died. knight's attorney says he was attacked and he was trying to escape in his truck when the incident took place. knight, the co-founder of death row records, previously served multiple years in prison for assault. still ahead on a friday evening, tough sledding in places all across the country as more communities say they're forced to ban sledding because they can't afford it when something goes wrong. also, a terrific friday night "making a difference" report. a field of dreams coming true for a pretty special young man.

if you ask a kid, from new jersey to moosehead lake, maine, binghamton to bangor, they will tell you the good thing about the snow we've had in the east this week is getting out in it, finding a hill and going down it way too fast on whatever you got that slides. but this year and increasingly our litigious society and the danger that thrills can often bring have combined together in a ban on sledding in a lot of communities. we get our report tonight from our veteran winter enthusiast kevin tibbles. >> reporter: hurtling down a hill is a rite of passage for any kid on a snow day. >> ow! >> going fast. >> reporter: but at breakneck

speeds, sledding is not without risk. >> oh! >> here they come down the hill -- >> reporter: risky too sometimes for bystanders. the center for injury research says more than 20,000 emergency room visits stem from sledding each year. 26% are fractures. my own son wound up with a broken leg a few years back. but the most frequent injury at 34% is to the head. sled safe. never near cars. always going forward. wear a helmet. sledding injuries in public parks often mean lawsuits. and settlements have been astronomical. the city of omaha has paid out $2.5 million. sioux city, upwards of $3 million. and tiny boone, iowa paid in excess of $12 million. concern over litigation saw dubuque ban sledding in all but five city parks this year. even city officials balked. >> pardon my french, but this

sucks. who doesn't like to slide down a hill? >> reporter: for parents, a dilemma. >> i think the city should have the right to say that this is too dangerous and we don't want to be responsible for any accidents. >> being sedentary at home also has risks for kids. >> reporter: while a ban on having fun in the snow may not be popular, neither is a night in the emergency room. and a fear of lawsuits is putting the big chill on sledding for a growing number of communities. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> and while there were in harrowing scenes there, we feel compelled to ta thankfully none resulted in serious injury. we're back in a moment with a historymaking climb into the record books.

♪ ♪ jean jean ♪ ♪ roses are red ♪ rod mckuen has died. he was poet a lyricist a musician. while he was once given the label of the unofficial poet laureate, snobs hated him. critics found his work facile, tepid and aphoristic three words everyday people don't use, and rod mckuen wrote for everyday people. he was talk show staple. his songs were record by sinatraal streisand. he survived a brutal upbringing. to become one of the voices that mirrored the '60s. rod mckuen was 81. well, this has now been done. a man has climbed niagara falls the solid version. 147 feet of sheer ice. adventurer will gad used ice hooks to pull himself up the frozen section of the falls in about an hour, dodging ice chunks along the way while unfrozen sections of the falls

raged on next to him at 70 miles an hour downhill. as you look at these next pictures, think of what it took to be a submariner in the civil war. this is the encrusted hull of the confederate submarine hunley recovered from charleston harbor after 150 years at the bottom. they are 70% finished with the work of removing the crust and the rust from the frame. the hunley was powered by a hand crank by the men inside and was the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship. we want to share with you a great moment that took place here in new york last night. the story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of iraq when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an rpg. our traveling nbc news team was rescued, surrounded and kept alive by an armored mechanized platoon from the u.s. army 3rd infantry. command sergeant tim terpak put in charge of our security. we quickly realized we were from neighboring towns in new jersey.

he went on to fight the war and invade baghdad and serve several more tours earning three bronze stars. we got to return to our homes and families thanks to him and his men. command sergeant major tim terpak and i stayed in touch all these years. he just retired after 24 years in the army. so last night i invited him to see the rangers/dand yens game at madison square garden. it was merely a chance to be reunited, but the rangers had other plans. as tim realized when we looked up and saw our picture on the big screen. >> ladies and gentlemen, during the iraq invasion u.s. army command sergeant major tim terpak was responsible for the safety of brian williams and his nbc news team after their chinook helicopter was hit and crippled by enemy fire. command sergeant major terpak was awarded three bronze stars for combat valor in iraq and recently retired after 23 years in the u.s. army. both men, both rangers fans,

have been reunited for the first time in 12 years for tonight's game. please welcome command sergeant major tim terpak and brian williams. >> how about that? standing ovation from the crowd of 18,000 people as players on both teams slapped their sticks on the ice as a show of respect. and for blocks around in midtown manhattan last night hockey fans rushed up to him to shake his hand and thank him for his service jurks as just as we thanked him and all those who have served. when we come back tonight, so many football fans wishing they could go to the super bowl this weekend. and a little guy who actually gets to do it.

"making a difference," brought to you by alka-seltzer plus night liquid gels. phoenix, arizona, gets to host this year's super bowl of course. it's the same city where the make a wish foundation started 35 years ago, but that's hardly the only connection between the two. one of the most frequent wishes kids make every year is to go to the super bowl. this year one of the younger wishmakers was nice enough to bring us along with his family to see his dream come true. his story tonight from nbc's

willie geist. >> reporter: it's been a long road to the super bowl for 8-year-old shannon cox of gray, kentucky. >> i'm just so excited for him that he gets to do this. it's great. >> reporter: shannon was diagnosed with leukemia in december of 2013. >> it's just hard to go through, i guess. just to see him laying there and know that he's sick. you know you've got cancer. really? my kid has cancer? >> reporter: but on this day in arizona, nothing can keep him from the end zone. for two days at the super bowl shannon and 11 other make a wish kids have a backstage pass to the big game. let's see that bullet pass you gave me before. yeah. whoo! turns out, the kid's got an arm. and he's a seahawks fan all the way. how did you become a seahawks

fan from kentucky? >> last year. >> reporter: you just loved watching them last year. >> i picked them and they won. >> reporter: you picked them? >> yeah. >> reporter: and you're picking them again this year? >> yeah. >> reporter: shannon watched his hawks win last year from bed. this year he's in remission, and he has a ticket to the game. >> he's like, i thought i was dreaming, mom. like nope you weren't dreaming shannon. we're actually here. >> reporter: on sunday his dream to go to the super bowl comes true. willie geist, nbc news, glendale, arizona. >> how about that? that's our broadcast for a friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be with you this weekend. we of course hope to see you right back here on monday night in the meantime, please have a good weekend. good night.

nbc bay area news starts now. >> right now at 6:00, it's changing by the hour. the measles continues to spread across the bay area. new cases are popping up this evening. good evening and thanks for being with us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. we have learned that just the past hour san mateo county has a new case of the measles tonight, and just 15 minutes ago, we confirmed solano county's first case. this morning, two new cases reported in marin county. two children who contacted the virus at disneyland. there are now 92 cases in the

state, 14 confirmed cases in the bay area. the map you're looking at shows the five bay area counties dealing with measles right now. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in san rafael and obviously the marin cases could be worrisome for a good chunk of people there because a lot of kids there are not vaccinated. >> reporter: that's right, jessica. marin county has the highest rate of unvaccinated school children in the entire bay area. and you can bet that is causing a lot of concern tonight as the county health department here confirms that two children here have contracted the virus. 15-month-old cyrus is getting his measles vaccination. news of two confirmed cases of measles in marin county where cyrus lives has his parents a bit nervous. >> so the idea that it's here and people aren't vaccinated is -- that's upsetting to me. i think it's time that we move beyond the faulty research that has kind of led to people not being