Roger Goodell GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 01: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft on the podium following Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
NFLBy Kevin McGuire on

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be in Atlanta on Sunday to watch the NFC Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons in the last game to be played in the Georgia Dome. The historical significance of the game for Atlanta is clear, but it is also entirely possible the commissioner simply does not want to put up with the grief he would likely encounter had he chosen to go to the AFC Championship Game in Foxboro.

Oh, you know, where the New England Patriots play. The Patriots, who were the subject of the Deflategate investigation that landed franchise quarterback Tom Brady in a four-game suspension to start this season, are hosting this weekend’s AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Goodell is considered enemy number one among Patriots fans.

From Spygate to Deflategate, Goodell has often been the subject of scorn from Patriots fans, but this past year may have netted more criticism of the league from the Patriots organization as a whole than ever before, including from owner Bob Kraft.

So are we to be surprised Goodell chose to head south for the NFC Championship Game? Not a chance.

Goodell was in Atlanta this past weekend for an NFC Divisional Round game between the Falcons and Seattle Seahawks. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the Falcons played on the same day the Patriots were hosting the Houston Texans in playoff action. The last time Goodell was spotted in Foxboro was for the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts in 2015. Oh, hey, that’s the game that ignited the whole Deflategate issue in the first place! Well how about that?

If the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl with a victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday, there will be now more avoiding the Patriots for the league commissioner. And if the Patriots do advance to the Super Bowl, there is a good possibility Goodell will have to hand off the Lombardi Trophy to the Patriots, which will be a moment Patriots fans will enjoy even more immensely.

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.

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