Embattled commissioner Roger Goodell was booed mercilessly once again at the NFL Draft, only this time, he received a verbal assault from Dallas fans despite being flanked by Cowboys legends Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach.
‘I’m sure he’s going to get a good response with us being out there,’ Staubach said before the draft, as quoted by ESPN. ‘If they boo, all of us are in trouble.’
Combined, Aikman and Staubach quarterbacked the Cowboys to five Super Bowl victories in the 90s and 70s, respectively. Goodell was also joined by Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
Goodell has been a target of all NFL fans over the years, many of whom object to his handling of NFL player protests during the national anthem, among other issues.
Goodell has been a target of all NFL fans over the years, many of whom object to his handling of NFL player protests during the national anthem, among other issues
Combined, Troy Aikman (left) and Roger Staubach (right) quarterbacked the Dallas Cowboys to five Super Bowl victories in the 90s and 70s, respectively
Dallas fans have a particular disdain for the Commissioner.
Goodell’s six-game suspension for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (pictured) was upheld in court last year. Elliott had been accused of domestic violence by a former girlfriend before being drafted by Dallas in 2016, but even though Ohio prosecutors declined to charge him with a crime, Goodell still implemented the suspension and fought Elliott’s appeals in court
Most significantly, Goodell’s six-game suspension for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was upheld in court last year. Elliott had been accused of domestic violence by a former girlfriend before being drafted by Dallas in 2016, but even though Ohio prosecutors declined to charge him with a crime, Goodell still implemented the suspension and fought Elliott’s appeals in court.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’s efforts to thwart Goodell’s multimillion-dollar extension resulted in a lawsuit. Jones was ultimately forced to pay part of the NFL’s legal fees from related court proceedings, as well as some of the league’s legal fees for the Elliott case.
Despite their differences, Jones does not wish to see Goodell suffer too much before announcing the first pick.
‘I don’t know of anybody, maybe other than me, that’s had more boos than Roger has,’ Jones said at the pre-draft news conference, as quoted by ESPN. ‘I know about how that works. I do hope we can be positive in our reception. We are going to do something pretty special, and he did have a final say in that.’
Despite their differences, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones (right) does not wish to see NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (left) get booed too badly by the Dallas crowd on Thursday night