Patriots Owner Robert Kraft yesterday said that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would be "welcomed at Gillette Stadium" for the '17 opener "if the Patriots win the Super Bowl," according to Mike Reiss of ESPN BOSTON. Kraft's comments were in response to Goodell during his state of the league address saying, "If I'm invited back to Foxborough, I will come." Goodell has not "attended a Patriots home game since the NFL handed down Deflategate penalties" two years ago. However, he said that he is "not avoiding Gillette Stadium." Asked how his relationship with the Patriots has changed since Deflategate, Goodell cited a "disagreement about what occurred." He said he continues to "respect and admire" Kraft, Patriots President Jonathan Kraft, and the "entire organization." Goodell: "They are an extraordinary organization, and they are an extraordinary team, in my opinion. So I have a very deep and close relationship to them. But that doesn't change that we have to compartmentalize and can disagree." He said the relationship between himself and the Patriots and their fans was "not awkward at all." Goodell: "From our standpoint, we understand fans who are loyal and passionate for a team object and don't like the outcome." Reiss noted Kraft "sat in the front row" of Goodell's press conference (ESPNBOSTON.com, 2/1).
NOT INVITE ONLY? In N.Y., Seth Walder writes Goodell as commissioner can "go to a game" if he "wants to go to a game." Walder: "That’s just common sense, but if you need more evidence, just ask [Jonathan] Kraft." Kraft during an appearance last month on Boston's WBZ-FM said owners "don’t extend invitations" to the commissioner (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/2). ESPN's Tedy Bruschi, who played his entire 13-year career with the Pats, said, "I didn't know that the commissioner needed to be invited" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 2/1). USA TODAY's Nancy Armour writes, "If you know anything about Goodell, it’s this: He doesn’t backtrack and he doesn’t apologize -- not publicly, at least. That’s not going to change now, even if the Deflategate drama makes for good theater." The relationship between Goodell and Robert Kraft "doesn’t seem to be as warm and fuzzy as it once was, either." But even if Kraft had "spouted off the way" Tom Brady’s father did last week, Goodell would "likely brush it off." Anyone who has "watched him during his 10-plus years as commissioner knows that his main objective -- his only objective -- is protecting the beloved shield" (USA TODAY, 2/2).
PROTECTING THE SHIELD: In Boston, Ben Volin notes Goodell yesterday was "asked five pointed questions" about Deflategate, and he "stood on the podium and took the heat." Volin: "He was the shield for The Shield" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2). Also in Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes, "Give him credit for taking some bullets." It "would have been easy for Goodell to rig the session and make sure he took no questions from New England." But as for the rest of Goodell's press conference, there were "many more words, but no true meaning" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/2). CSNNE.com's Tom Curran wrote yesterday was "standard issue Goodell, proudly defiant, deftly moving goalposts." It "takes a special kind of ... something ... to be able to listen to a question, process it, then figure a way to create a response that has little to do with the question and everything to do with self-congratulation." The "erosion of trust in Goodell among players, fans and the media exists because Goodell is simply not believable anymore" (CSNNE.com, 2/1). NFL Network's Jeffri Chadiha said Goodell had a "really good answer" to a question about the hostility between he and the New England area. Chadiha: "The best answer he's given as far as it's not a personal thing. This is not a holy war I've been waging on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, so please understand that" (NFL Network, 2/1).
