5 Wild Moments From Super Bowl LI
Roger Goodell got booed
Many wondered during the buildup to Super Bowl LI what kind of interaction would occur between NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the Patriots players and fans should he be forced to hand the Lombardi Trophy to the Patriots as victors of the NFL's biggest game.
Goodell and the Patriots are not on the best of terms after Goodell suspended Brady for four games, fined the Patriots $1 million and forced the team to forfeit draft picks because of the highly publicized Deflategate controversy in which Brady and the Patriots were accused of intentionally deflating their footballs slightly below the league's required pounds per square inch prior to the the American Football Conference championship game in January 2015.
Many felt that Goodell issued a very harsh punishment for what amounted to be nothing more than an equipment violation that would otherwise warrant a fine.
As Goodell took the stage to address the crowd and hand over the Lombardi Trophy to Patriots' owner Robert Kraft, he received a steady chorus of boos from the Patriots' faithful and other fans who dislike how he manages the NFL. The booes immediately turned to cheers as soon as Goodell handed the trophy to Kraft and left the spotlight.