Safety-conscious football watchers slammed NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Sunday night when he awarded the league's Lombardi Trophy to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a crowded winner's podium -- while not wearing a face covering.
Goodell was seen wearing a mask earlier in the night, including while sat in a luxury suite alongside Seahawks star Russell Wilson and pop star Ciara, but apparently eschewed the mask for the annual postgame ceremony, presumably so he could speak and be heard clearly during his comments.
But the commish apparently wasn't alone in flouting mask requirements amid the heady celebrations in Tampa.
Mayor Jane Castor on Monday morning conceded she was frustrated by postgame revelers packing into area sports bars to celebrate the win, many of them not wearing in masks.
“It is a little frustrating because we have worked so hard,” Castor said during a news conference with the Super Bowl Host Committee. “At this point in dealing with COVID-19, there is a level of frustration when you see that.”
Castor had signed an executive order calling for masks to be worn at all Super Bowl-related festivities to limit the potential for a "super spreader" event.
The mayor didn't mention Goodell or Bucs owners Joel Glazer, who also was not wearing a mask during the trophy presentation, in her comments.
Some viewers noted the irony of Goodell going "au naturel" on the game's biggest stage -- after he had doled out several stiff fines to NFL coaches for violating mask protocols throughout the regular season.
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