NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced picks from his basement during Thursday's draft, never seems more likable than when he’s getting booed at the NFL draft. Remember Deflategate? A National Football League (NFL) controversy involving the allegation that New England Patriot's quarterback Tom Brady ordered the deliberate deflation of footballs used in the Patriots' victory against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2014 American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game. The controversy resulted in Brady being suspended by Roger Goodell for four games; the team was fined $1 million and forfeited two draft selections in 2016. Remember all the boos Goodell received? 

Nevertheless, the NFL commissioner doesn’t ignore the fans giving him a hard time. At some point, he elected to embrace it, and even egg it on. It has now become an annual event: Goodell coming out for the start of the NFL draft, and fans booing him as loud as they can. Are you having flashbacks?

This year there was no live crowd to boo Goodell. Damn! The NFL had a remote draft due to coronavirus restrictions, and Goodell announced picks from his basement.

Bud Light had a funny Twitter movement, in which fans recorded videos of booing the commissioner with a #BooTheCommish hashtag. And Goodell played along, appearing in a commercial on ESPN, just before the draft started. 

“Traditions are important, now, more than ever,” Goodell said while sitting next to his dog. “And while I considered skipping this one, Bud Light reminded me, it just wouldn’t be the same.”

Then there were the sounds of booing, the #BooTheCommish message on the screen, and then a clip of Goodell from a previous draft asking for more.

The start of the draft was more somber, with Goodell addressing the health crisis, thanking frontline workers, pointing out that the NFL was having a “Draft-A-Thon” to raise funds for coronavirus relief, and holding a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives.

Given the melancholy tone of the unusual draft, the Bud Light ad was a beautiful idea to produce some levity. It was funny, and Goodell deserves credit for playing along with the gag. It got an odd night off to a fun start.