After nearly two years of waiting, Patriots fans finally got a chance to boo Roger Goodell at Gillette Stadium, and they definitely took advantage of their opportunity.
For the first time since Deflategate started, Goodell was at Gillette Stadium for a game that actually counted and fans let him have it as soon as he walked on the field.
Goodell coming onto the field pic.twitter.com/xfXZ19bpbf
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 7, 2017
The boos were so loud that when they started, NBC studio host Dan Patrick thought that fans were booing the Chiefs, but nope, it was just everyone booing Goodell.
Pats fans were booing so loudly that Dan Patrick thought it was the Chiefs.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) September 7, 2017
It was Roger Goodell. pic.twitter.com/VjjHBWUlVE
The best part about the boos is that most of the fans who were booing Goodell were also wearing anti-Goodell t-shirts. That's right, the people of New England actually coordinated their hatred for Goodell by all wearing the same thing to the game, thanks in large part to Barstool sports.
The media company had thousands of towels made that depicted Goodell with a clown nose. There were also t-shirts and other Goodell clown-nose memorabilia.
Here's a small sample of fans who showed up to Gillette with Goodell-clown gear.
First, here's some towels.
And here's what one of the t-shirts looked like, in what might be the most perfect picture of all-time: Goodell-clownception.
The NFL knew that Goodell wouldn't be warmly welcomed at Gillette, so the league made sure to get him off the field as quickly as possible on Thursday.
According to MMQB.com, Goodell completed his pregame duties early, and will not sit in Robert Kraft's suite during the game. The Patriots have also agreed not to show Goodell on the big board at any point during the game because it might start a small riot.
Goodell actually showed up for a preseason game at Gillette in August, but his visit was a surprise and fans never really got a chance to boo him, which they definitely made up for on Thursday.
Before Thursday's opener, Goodell hadn't attended a game that mattered at Gillette since January 2015 when Deflategate started following the Patriots' AFC title win over the Colts. Goodell basically became Public Enemy No. 1 in the Boston area in May 2015 after Tom Brady's four-game suspension was handed out for the first time.