NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says that he’ll go to a New England Patriots home game if the organization invites him to one.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hasn’t been to a New England Patriots home game since Deflategate, because he hasn’t been invited.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been very critical of how Goodell handled his quarterback’s most recent “scandal.” Despite that, Goodell said at his Super Bowl news conference on Wednesday that he would go to a Patriots home game if he was invited, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
“If I’m invited back to Foxborough, I will come,” Goodell said. “I have no doubt that if I wanted to come up to a Patriots game and I asked Mr. Kraft, he would welcome me back. That’s up to him.”
Kraft said in a statement that he has talked to troves of fans who said they would welcome Goodell back to Gillette Stadium without issue. The commissioner went to back-to-back games in Atlanta during the Falcons’ playoff matches instead of going to the AFC Championship game. Two years ago, he did go to back-to-back Patriots home games in the playoffs though.
When asked whether his relationship with the Patriots and their fans is strained, the commissioner said that it’s not awkward for him.
ESNY’s Spin
Yeah right.
Mr. Goodell, do you really expect us to believe that your relationship with the Patriots isn’t at all awkward?
Tom Brady might have lost in the Deflategate case by having to serve his suspension, but his team is in the Super Bowl and you might have to hand him the Vince Lombardi trophy. So why don’t you stop lying and admit that it would be awkward to have to hand the Patriots the trophy if they win Super Bowl LI on Sunday. Oh, and the real reason you haven’t gone to a Patriots home game is because Brady got the best of you in Deflategate.
Goodell also recently announced that the Patriots will play the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City during the 2017 regular season.
