NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attended Saturday’s game in Atlanta, so with the two conference championship games set for Atlanta and New England on Sunday, it would make sense for Goodell to go to Gillette Stadium to visit another league franchise.
But Goodell won’t be in New England. He will attend the NFC Championship Game in Atlanta, the league confirmed to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Goodell still hasn’t attended a game in New England since the playoffs after the 2014 season, when he went to both the divisional round and AFC Championship games at Gillette Stadium.
The obvious reason is that Goodell would face a frosty reception from the Patriots and their fans. After suspending Tom Brady and docking the Patriots’ first-round draft pick this year for Deflategate, Goodell is Public Enemy No. 1 in New England. He would be booed mercilessly by Patriots fans if he showed his face in New England.
And so if we’re going to see a face-to-face meeting between Goodell and Brady, it will only come in Houston, if the Patriots win the Super Bowl and Goodell is there on the podium to congratulate the winners after the game. That would be an awkward moment for Goodell, and a moment of vindication for the Patriots.