Roger Goodell Says First Time He Was Booed at NFL Draft It 'Hit Me Right Across the Chest'

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell knows fans are (mostly) just messing around when they boo him at the draft each April. But that wasn't necessarily the case the first time it happened.

In an episode of The St. Brown Podcast released Wednesday, co-host Equanimeous St. Brown asked Goodell, this week's guest, about the history of the boos.

Goodell's response was quite interesting. For starters, he said that it was actually David Stern, the late former NBA commissioner, who first mentioned the booing to him. (As basketball fans know, the NBA commissioner is also loudly antagonized at that draft each year.)

"You know, the first person who mentioned that to me was David Stern. The late David Stern, who was the NBA commissioner. And after the first four years or so of the draft, they said, 'Well, you haven't gotten the draft boos yet,'" Goodell recounted. "And maybe that's your grace period."

Well, that grace period ended when the lockout came around in 2011. Despite the work stoppage, the league could still hold a draft—and the fans in attendance really let Goodell have it when he walked out on stage ... at least in his memory of the moment.

"When I walked on stage, I could feel the boos. Literally. Those were serious boos," he explained. "I'm telling you, it hit me right across the chest and almost knocked me back, it was that powerful. So there was meaning behind that for sure."

These days, though, the boos are "a little bit more playful, and we all get a kick out of it," he said. And ultimately, as the consummate businessman, Goodell knows that any crowd participation, whether positive or negative, is good for the league in the end.

"I think the fans have a right to express themselves any way they want," he concluded. "I love the engagement, that's good for us."

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