Roger Goodell says he will be happy to present Tom Brady with the Vince Lombardi trophy should the New England Patriots win next month’s Super Bowl, despite the fallout from the Deflategate scandal.
The NFL commissioner suspended Brady for the first four games of the season for his role in the saga after a long-running battle that ended up in court. The quarterback has roared back after his ban, leading the Patriots to Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Tom Brady is one of the all-time greats,” Goodell told Fox Sports Radio on Wednesday. “He has been for several years. He’s on the precipice of at least potentially winning his fifth Super Bowl ring. He’s an extraordinary player, great performer, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer. So it would be an honor [to present him with the trophy].”
Goodell has not attended a Patriots game since the start of Deflategate and chose to watch the Falcons beat the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game last weekend rather than attend the Patriots’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Goodell is unpopular to say the least with New England fans but denied he is dodging the team.
“We had two great games. I was in Boston two years ago for the divisional and the championship games. I try to get to as many stadiums as I can,” he said. “We have two great games and you have to choose. Frankly, the focus should be on the players and the coaches and the great game. That’s where it was this weekend, and that’s where it should be.”
The Patriots owner, Robert Kraft, has been critical of the way the NFL handled Deflategate telling the New York Times the league “had messed this up badly”. Goodell, however, said Kraft respected him. “I wouldn’t be doing my job if somebody wasn’t unhappy with a decision that you make or where you’re doing it. Robert and I can disagree about things. We have a healthy respect for one another, but that’s true with any owner. That doesn’t affect my relationship or the fact we work together to try to make the NFL better ultimately. That’s the most important thing going for us.
