Rob Gronkowski says Patriots fans wouldn’t even let Roger Goodell step foot in Gillette Stadium

The New England Patriots got their ultimate revenge on Roger Goodell and the NFL for DeflateGate by winning Super Bowl LI, but evidently the hard feelings haven’t passed. According to Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Goodell still wouldn’t be welcome in New England if he tried to visit.

“I’m telling you, [Goodell] wouldn’t get through the highway if our fans saw him,” Gronkowski told ESPN’s Cari Champion. “So I don’t think he can even land in the airport in Boston, because Patriots fans are the best fans. They’re the most loyal fans. I’m telling you, they might just carry out Roger themselves. He couldn’t even get to the stadium in Foxboro if he landed in Boston.”

The resentment of Goodell in New England is tied to the four-game suspension he handed Tom Brady for DeflateGate, the culmination of a 544-day witch hunt over accusations of the use of partially deflated footballs in the AFC Championship in Jan. 2015.

After the Patriots’ come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, Goodell had to give a congratulatory speech that was drowned out by boos. Much was made of the awkwardness of the situation and Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas said Goodell “scurried off the stage like a rat,” but it was ultimately an anticlimactic and run-of-the-mill trophy presentation.

Still, Goodell hasn’t visited New England in over two years. The last time he visited Gillette Stadium for a game was the AFC Divisional Round in Jan. 2015 — two weeks before the DeflateGate game. During the Patriots’ most recent Super Bowl run, Goodell twice opted to visit a Falcons game instead.

But he may not be able to avoid the Patriots much longer. Super Bowl champions usually host the first game of the regular season and that likely means he’ll have to go to New England for one of the NFL’s annual marquee events.

A fifth Super Bowl victory in the Bill Belichick and Brady era evidently wasn’t enough to put the ill will toward Goodell to rest, though. The commissioner is still very much unwelcome at Gillette Stadium.