When questions first emerged regarding the feasibility of the NFL draft happening in Las Vegas, we pointed out that, as long as Roger Goodell still reads off the first-round picks, it won’t matter if he’s standing on a stage in front of tens of thousands or sitting in his living room with pipe, slippers, dog, and crackling logs on the fire.
He very well may be.
As explained by Peter King in his latest Football Morning in America column, “several people” who are working out the details of draft weekend want the Commissioner to handle the draft from his home.
The alternative would be for Goodell to make a 100-minute drive to ESPN’s studios. But with most of the country under a “stay at home” order, why should Goodell leave his home to do something he could do from his home?
“I don’t know what Goodell will do, but being on a home camera is the smartest option for him on the Thursday night first-round show,” King writes.
He’s right. Although the psychological benefit of proceeding with the draft to millions of football fans who are confined to their homes outweighs the reasons to stand down, the NFL needs to be very careful regarding the messages it sends regarding whether the mandates and recommendations from the state and federal governments should be taken seriously.
It won’t matter where Goodell is. As long as he’s the one reading off the names, the first round of the draft will be as compelling as it always is -- and the broader circumstances could give the draft its highest ratings ever.