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Leagues and Governing Bodies

Pundits Criticize Goodell For Taking Pass On Steelers-Pats AFC Title Game In Foxboro

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will attend the NFC Championship game in Atlanta on Sunday over the Steelers-Patriots AFC Championship contest, and it appears Goodell is "afraid to show his face" in Foxboro following Deflategate, according to Karen Guregian of the BOSTON HERALD. It is possible the "powers that be in the NFL, who decide where he goes, would rather he just avoid the scene here because it doesn’t promise to be a good look." For the NFL, it is "all about image." Guregian: "Why not get it over with?" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/18). In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes it "looks as though the commissioner is afraid to come" to Foxboro. Goodell "doesn’t have to go on the field or sit in the stands." Shaughnessy: "What is the big deal, Roger? You are not Salman Rushdie hiding from the followers of the Ayatollah Khomeini. ... You are the commissioner of the NFL. You are the protector of the Shield. You won the Deflategate war. Come back to Foxborough and face the angry nation" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/18). In DC, Cindy Boren writes Goodell "had a choice," and he chose "poorly." It is "time to put all this behind him," as he is "only prolonging Deflategate." Boren: "Unless there is a credible threat to Goodell’s safety that the NFL is not sharing, he should just suck it up and appear in the cozy confines of a Gillette Stadium luxury suite" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 1/18).

TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC: YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote Goodell's avoidance of Gillette Stadium is a "disservice to the league." Goodell is paid a reported $44M a year to "take the heat." Running from the NFL’s "most stubbornly successful franchise adds fuel to the belief" that the Deflategate investigation and punishment of Patriots QB Tom Brady was "personal and not based on defensible facts or tactics" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/17). ESPN's Damien Woody said Goodell's "intentions are obvious and are a little embarrassing." Woody: "You're the commissioner of 32 teams, not 31, that you would be afraid to go to Foxboro. It's just ridiculous. I know from a league perspective, they'll probably say, 'We don't want to take away from the moment and the game itself,' but everyone sees what's going on here and at some point you're going to have to make that move" ("SportsCenter," ESPN2, 1/18).

IS IT THAT BIG A DEAL? BOSTON magazine's Kyle Clauss wrote Goodell not being at the game is "hardly the end of the world." Clauss: "What kind of revenge fantasy do fans have in mind if he did make the slow slog down Route 1 for a Patriots game?" It is as if Patriots fans "expect to see Brady, ball in hand, leading a naked Goodell through the concourse for his walk of atonement" (BOSTONMAGAZINE.com, 1/17). FOXSPORTS.com's Chris Chase wondered why Goodell would "want or need to attend a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium." Chase: "What's the benefit?" The "angry Pats fans can't come up with a good reason Goodell should go." There is "only one reason" local residents want Goodell to attend the game, and that is to "boo." Deflategate will "never be over to Patriots fans," and Goodell is "well aware of his unpopularity in New England." But "subjecting himself to the hatred is absurd, and suggesting he should voluntarily take it is even worse" (FOXSPORTS.com, 1/17). ESPN’s Tedy Bruschi said it is "best for Roger to stay away." Bruschi: "Give it another year because I'm sure there's a big faction of people in New England saying, ‘Come on out here because we want to let you know what we feel about you.'" He added, "Go to Atlanta. It’s the last game in the Georgia Dome, help finish that out." But ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said, “Roger Goodell is the Commissioner of the National Football League. Don't duck and hide now. ... If you have to eat up the insults that are going to be thrown your direction, so be it. The last time I checked, Roger Goodell is a big boy. Suck it up and handle it” (“First Take,” ESPN, 1/18).

ATLANTA IS NICE, TOO: ESPN's Dan Le Batard said Goodell "doesn't want to become the story." Le Batard: "There's only one stadium he can go to this weekend where he becomes part of the story, and it's that one" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 1/17). ESPN's Mike Greenberg said, "If I'm Roger Goodell, I'm not going to Foxboro this weekend. ... I'm going to run until the end of my life." Greenberg added, "This isn't the time to do it" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 1/18).

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