NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has been notoriously avoiding New England since DeflateGate popped up more than two years ago — going so far as to break with tradition in not attending the Patriots’ home opener after they won Super Bowl XLIX.
Roger Goodell still won’t go to a Patriots home game, 2 years after DeflateGate
The commissioner will attend the NFC Championship this week rather than go to Foxborough for Patriots vs. Steelers.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
That won’t change this week, either, when the Patriots host the Steelers Sunday night in the AFC Championship. Goodell, who attended the Falcons’ 36-20 win over the Seahawks in the Georgia Dome last week, will return to Atlanta for the NFC Championship:
Goodell hasn’t been seen in New England for a game in 741 days, when the Patriots beat the Ravens in the AFC Divisional round in 2015 — a week before the DeflateGate game.
Robert Kraft, the team’s owner, had been one of Goodell’s strongest supporters, and friends, making the situation all the more uncomfortable. His continued absence has been one of the more dominant subplots during the Patriots’ run, especially with Tom Brady being forced to sit for the first four games of the season this year due to his involvement in the scandal.
On Monday, Brady told The Kirk & Callahan Show that it wouldn’t bother him if Goodell attended the Patriots
“He’s the commissioner, so obviously whatever he wants to do, he can do,” Brady said. “If he wants to come, that would be — yeah, he can come.”
Goodell’s unwillingness to visit New England was brought up to Patriots president Jonathan Kraft before last week’s divisional game against the Texans on Boston sports radio and was rather quickly dismissed.
Returning to Foxborough was always going to be awkward, but the longer Goodell avoids it the more attention it brings. Perhaps Goodell will still interact with the Patriots, though — like, say, if New England wins another Super Bowl and he hands the team the Lombardi Trophy.
See More:
