Roger Goodell says he will attend the Patriots’ 2017 season opener
The only thing that has lasted longer than Deflategate? Roger Goodell's absence at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots fans might notice something they haven’t seen in awhile at the team’s 2017 season opener: Roger Goodell.
The NFL commissioner told reporters at the league’s spring meetings Tuesday that he plans to be in Foxborough for the Thursday night Week 1 home opener. It will be the first time Goodell has attended a game at Gillette Stadium since the Patriots’ 2015 AFC Divisional round game against the Baltimore Ravens — or, in other words, nearly 32 months.
It may or may not be coincidence that Goodell’s absence from Foxborough spanned the incredibly fractious and prolonged Deflategate controversy.
Goodell says he will attend the Patriots’ home opener at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 7. It will be his first time back since Deflategate
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 29, 2017
The Patriots opponent for the September 7 game has not yet been announced.
Despite whatever acrimony remains from the league’s handling of Deflategate, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told the Boston Herald earlier Tuesday that Goodell would be welcome to attend the Thursday night game, which is traditionally hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champions.
“As we all know, he has the right to go wherever he wishes to go,” Kraft said. “And if he wanted to come, he’s welcomed to come. We’re happy we’ll be celebrating our fifth banner. He can decide whether he wants to be there.”
Goodell was notably absent at the Patriots’ 2015 season opener in the midst of the Deflategate fallout. It was the first time and only time he had skipped the NFL’s opening game since being appointed commissioner in 2006.
A league spokesman told Boston.com at the time that Goodell would instead watch the game on TV.
