While the NFL Commissioner usually helps open the season, but thanks to today’s Tom Brady ruling and the awkward situation it would put Roger Goodell in, he has decided to sit next week’s opener out.
A league spokesman told Fox Sports that Goodell will not be at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10, when the New England Patriots unveil their Super Bowl XLIX championship banner before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers. This will be the first season opener Goodell will miss since he became commissioner in 2006.
Goodell “believes the focus should be on the game on the field and the festivities celebrating the Patriots' Super Bowl championship,” the spokesman told Fox Sports.
Brady, the Patriots’ quarterback, was initially suspended four games for his alleged role in Deflategate. However, that decision was overturned by a federal judge. The NFL said it will appeal that decision, which criticized the NFL’s handling of the matter.
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