Roger Goodell will attend Patriots’ opening game in Foxboro

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will attend the New England Patriots’ opening game in Foxboro.

When the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots kick off the NFL season this fall, they will have a special guest in the building. The walk of shame will continue for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Of course everyone knows Goodell and the Patriots have a contentious relationship. From “Spygate” to “Deflategate,” the two sides are extremely familiar with one another. Their relationship status would be categorized as “it’s complicated” on Facebook.

The Patriots’ 2016 season began with controversy as Tom Brady sat out the first four games due to suspension. But they went on to finish 14-2 and completed the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history during their triumph over the Atlanta Falcons.

The plot thickened during the Super Bowl trophy presentation. The awkwardness and irony of Goodell handing the Super Bowl trophy to Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft was palpable. Mr. Kraft took the microphone and delivered some not-so subtle jabs at the NFL.

Matt Patricia, the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, opted to throw an overhand right at the commissioner.

Basically, things backfired on Roger Goodell in epic fashion. Now, imagine the warm reception he will receive from the New England faithful when his face is shown on the jumbotron. The real question is how many times will stadium producers deliberately cut to him?

And the bad news for Goodell and the rest of the league is the Patriots will be even more dangerous in 2017. Somehow, they procured star receiver Brandin Cooks from the New Orleans Saints to headline another successful offseason. They are just better than everyone else at absolutely everything.