Roger Goodell received his annual hostile reception at the NFL Draft after walking on stage in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
The long-serving NFL Commissioner is typically subjected to boos whenever he first appears at the Draft, becoming somewhat of a tradition amongst fans in recent years.
And the packed crowd gathered outside Acrisure Stadium for this year’s event kept that brutal custom very much alive ahead of Thursday’s first round.
Goodell, as ever, saw the funny side of the jeers as he kicked off the Draft in Pittsburgh alongside Steelers stars TJ Watt and Cam Heyward.
‘Pittsburgh, here we are,’ he said after appearing on stage with Watt and Heyward.
The NFL chief then teased the crowd as they showered him with boos, saying: ‘Come on, you can do better than that!’
Roger Goodell received his annual hostile reception at the NFL Draft on Thursday night
The NFL Commissioner is typically subjected to boos whenever he first appears at the Draft
Steelers legends Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Hines Ward, Lynn Swann and Ben Roethlisberger were then invited onto the stage by Watt and Heyward as part of the opening ceremony.
Goodell, who was first appointed NFL Commissioner all the way back in 2006, has seen his popularity dwindle in recent years for various reasons.
Fans have taken issue with the 67-year-old for issues such as the rising cost to watch games on TV and at stadiums across the country, inconsistency in disciplinary actions and more.
As recently as February, Goodell angered NFL fans by gushing over the state of the league’s officiating.
‘I’m amazed at how good our officials are,’ he said, via NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
‘Does Roger even watch the games? Refs were horrible this year,’ one fan fumed on X in response.
Another asked: ‘Good? What are they good at? It’s certainly not officiating.’
While a third claimed: ‘Every commissioner says the refs are doing great until a blown call trends for 48 hours.’
