Roger Goodell has not visited Gillette Stadium in the past two years, and the cold weather has nothing to do with it. You see, there was this little scandal called Deflategate, and the New England Patriots and their fans weren’t all that thrilled with how Goodell handled it.
Now, Goodell has a decision to make. The NFL commissioner was in Atlanta to watch the Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks to advance to the NFC Championship on Saturday. With the AFC Championship Game being played in Foxboro, Goodell now has three choices — visit the Georgia Dome two weeks in a row, show his face among the Patriots faithful, or stay home.
Tom Brady was asked on Monday about the possibility of Goodell making his first trip to Foxboro in two years.
“He’s the commissioner, so obviously whatever he wants to do, he can do,” Brady said in his weekly appearance on WEEI in Boston. “If he wants to come, that would be — yeah, he can come.”
When asked if he wants Goodell to show up, Brady simply reiterated that Goodell can “go wherever he wants to go.”
Goodell, of course, was the one who decided to have Ted Wells launch a full-fledged so-called “independent investigation” into the Patriots alleged ball tampering violations. The investigation concluded that it was “more probable than not” that Brady was “generally aware” of funny business, and Brady was eventually suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.
Many NFL fans hate Goodell. Patriots fans hate him much, much more. When Goodell didn’t show up to the NFL season opener at Gillette Stadium in 2015, he was taunted mercilessly. You can see a video here.
No matter how many horrible decisions he has made, you’d hate to think Goodell would have to fear for his safety visiting an NFL stadium. Still, he may choose to stay home rather than subject himself to potential taunting. Though, the taunting could be even louder if he chooses not to show up.
