If you thought the drama between the New England Patriots and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was all settled after the Patriots won the Super Bowl, you were sorely mistaken. Expect plenty of conversation about how the commissioner will eventually be welcomed to Foxboro when the time comes to pay a visit. Rob Gronkowski thinks it may not go well, and he may be absolutely correct.
In an interview with ESPN, Gronkowski was asked about his expectations on how Goodell will be received by Patriots fans if he were to visit Foxboro. Gronkowski drew up a pretty solid picture of how that might go down, suggesting Goodell may want to just consider staying away from the New England region as long as possible.
“The fans are nuts, they’re wild, and they have the Patriots’ back no matter what. They have [Tom Brady’s] back. I’m telling you, he won’t get through the highway if the fans saw him. I don’t even think he can even land in the airport in Boston because Patriot fans are the best fans, they’re the most loyal fans. I’m telling you, they might just carry out Roger themselves. They couldn’t even get to the stadium in Foxboro if he landed in Boston.”
Needless to say, Gronkowski and Goodell have contrasting opinions on how the commissioner would be received by Patriots fans.
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, then you know Goodell is not exactly well received by Patriots fans following the Deflategate investigation that ultimately landed franchise quarterback and future Hall of Famer Tom Brady a four-game suspension this past season.
Brady and the Patriots got the last laugh with an overtime Super Bowl victory, and Brady planned ahead by having a commercial designed specifically to humorously jab Goodell afterward. Goodell’s last trip to Foxboro was for the 2015 AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, the game that introduced us all to Deflategate. Patriots fans took notice the commissioner made repeat trips to Atlanta during the recent NFL postseason as well, which begged the question of whether or not Goodell was avoiding traveling to New England at all costs.
