HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 01: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with the media during a press conference for Super Bowl 51 at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 1, 2017 in Houston, Texas.
Roger Goodell attended the New England Patriots’ preseason home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday to mark his first appearance at Gillette Stadium in more than two years.
The NFL commissioner’s previous visit to the stadium came in January 2015, when the Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game thanks to the use of deflated footballs, a scandal that became known as “Deflate-gate.” Tom Brady was handed a four-game suspension for his involvement in the unfair victory, a punishment that has led many Patriots fans to strongly dislike Goodell.
In February, Rob Gronkowski said that Goodell was hated so much in New England that he wouldn’t “even be able to land at the airport” if he attempted to attend a game.
Goodell sat in a private box in the first quarter on Thursday alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and left before halftime. According to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, Goodell was in Boston and decided to stop by, as he is visiting several NFL teams this preseason:
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The commissioner also met with Jaguars owner Shad Khan and took a photo with several fans, which NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy shared while adding that Goodell would return to Gillette for the Patriots’ regular season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 7:
One of the fans who met with Goodell said he “doesn’t care for him” and added, “It’s just a photo. People can get over it.”
The Patriots lost Thursday’s game 31-24.
HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 01: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks with the media during a press conference for Super Bowl 51 at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 1, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)
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