We hear it every year: Besides actually winning the Super Bowl, NFL players often treasure the night they get their Super Bowl rings more than any other.
By the time the rings are doled out, the team has had a chance to soak in the title but haven’t fully moved on to the next season. It’s often the last time the entire group gets together as champions, including those that have since left the team.
The Packers have their ring ceremony on June 16. It will be a private, team-only affair, which is how every team does it. Apparently that hasn’t sat well with some Packers fans, forcing the team to release a statement on the matter Thursday.
“We relied on past practices,” spokesman Aaron Popkey told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “But it’s intended to be a private event.”
(Media will presumably also be kept on the outside looking in; Michael Silver is said to be preparing an outraged column.)
We know Packers shareholders and fans feel part of the team more than most, but let’s not get carried away. This is one of the most special nights in the career of an NFL player or employee.
It may hurt for fans to realize, but part of the reason its so special is that fans aren’t allowed in.