Last year’s virtual festivities sparred Roger Goodell his annual embarrassment of getting booed on draft night. But the tradition is back, and it is absolutely wonderful, if not a tad staged.
Goodell was showered with tepid jeers when he walked onto the stage Thursday at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, leading the commissioner to ask for more. "Come on, Cleveland! I didn't come out of my basement for nothing," Goodell shouted.
Admittedly, booing someone loses its luster when they're literally asking for it. But we'll take any sign of normalcy that we can.
Fully vaccinated, Goodell will once again be permitted to awkwardly hug draft prospects after they’re selected. Several prospects are attending the event, including quarterbacks Zach Wilson, Mac Jones and Trey Lance. Trevor Lawrence, who the Jaguars selected No. 1 overall, participated virtually.
Hopefully he won't ask them to sit in his chair.
An estimated 50,000 fans are on hand in Cleveland — and that’s probably why Goodell couldn’t help but ask for the boos to come down. The return of boos means the return of fans in stadium.
Some fleeting embarrassment is more than worth the revenue windfall.