Time for a tweet treat
Goodell should pay a visit to Foxboro
Here we go again: Will Roger Goodell show up at Gillette Stadium for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers?
I suppose it’s a bit of what’s called a “cold take.” It was only last week that we wondered if the allpowerful NFL commissioner would dip his toe into chilly Gillette Stadium for the Pats’ playoff showdown against the Houston Texans. Turns out Goodell had a previous engagement: He was in Atlanta for the Falcons’ 36-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The next day he was in Kansas City for Chiefs vs. Steelers, and he even took the time to post this swell tweet:
“I have a very special guest with me at #PITvsKC - Sophie, our @nflplay60 Super Kid- a big @Chiefs fan and amazing girl. See you at #SB51.”
“Sophie” is 13-year-old Sophie Schneider, a seventhfrom Olathe, Kan., who was chosen from among hundreds of entrants vying to become the NFL’s “kid correspondent” for Super Bowl LI. Sophie received the news from former NFL star Michael Strahan last week on Good Morning America, the program that’ll carry her kid corresponding.
Good on Goodell for taking time out from his busy schedule to travel to Kansas City, and, especially, for doing a photo op with such a charming young ambassador for the game.
Just one week earlier, he tweeted out a magnificent photo of the Seattle skyline as his plane was beginning its descent into Sea-Tac.
“Great to be in Seattle for #DETvsSEA #nflwildcard tonight,” Goodell wrote. “Clear view on the way in & fun memories of climbing Mt Rainer with Tod Leiweke.”
Again, good stuff there from the commish. And it was a nice added touch for him to provide a little home cooking for the Puget Sound media, since Leiweke, the NFL’s CEO, is the former CEO of the Seattle Seahawks.
The commissioner doesn’t tweet a lot, but his feed offers enough evidence that the man likes to get out of the house and watch some football.
As far back as Jan. 17, 2010, Goodell tweeted, “After attending the 2 AFC games this wknd, I will go to New Orleans for the NFC Championship. Laissez les bons temps rouler Saints&Vikes.”
Once again, Goodell showed his talent for connecting with the locals. Those of you who’ve tasted Mardi Gras probably already know this, but “Laissez les bons temps rouler” means “Let the good times roll,” which is what one does in The Big Easy.
And, like, wow: two AFC playoff games in one weekend! That would mean he was in Indianapolis for the Colts’ 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Sat. Jan. 16, 2010, after which he jetted out to San Diego in time to catch the Jets’ 17-14 victory over the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. (Fun Fact: With the recent news that the Spanos family knifed San Diego sports fans in the back by moving the Chargers to Los Angeles, this means Goodell was in attendance for the last NFL playoff game at Qualcomm Stadium.)
It’s good that Goodell gets around. Yet he hasn’t gotten around to paying a visit to Gillette Stadium since that whole Deflategate thing rolled off the assembly line two years ago.
Might this weekend be the difference-maker? There are two games on Sunday — Packers vs. Falcons at the Georgia Dome in the NFC title game at 3:05 p.m., and Pats vs. Steelers at 6:40 at Gillette.
Even Roger Goodell can’t be in two places at once, which means it’s the Georgia Dome or Gillette Stadium, or he remains aboard the NFL Death Star and watches the games on television.
Ahh, but he already attended the Seahawks-Falcons game at the Georgia Dome this past Saturday. In the interest of fair play, shouldn’t he be at Foxboro on Sunday?
Or, since the Seattle-Atlanta game loomed as the possible last NFL game to be played at the Georgia Dome before the Falcons’ spiffy new stadium opens next year, should he show up again this weekend? It will, after all, be the for-real last game played there.
(I don’t know if then NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was in attendance for the Pats’ 16-13 tuck rule victory over Oakland on Jan. 19, 2002, in the last game played at Foxboro Stadium, but Raiders fans still believe he was close enough to be whispering into referee Walt Coleman’s ear.)
If Goodell can’t make it to Gillette this weekend, the hope is that he’ll at least send out a special Pats-themed tweet, the way he did with fans of the Seahawks and Saints. I’m thinking something along the lines of, “Good luck to #Patriots and #Steelers in #AFCChampionship. I’ll be watchin on flat screen TB12. NO ball-delatin LOL!!! #havemyeyeonyou”
Let the good times roll!