Roger Goodell has a “man cave” from which he’ll be attending the 2020 NFL Draft , a room that wasn’t always football-oriented. On Thursday morning, the NFL Commissioner revealed his spot for the big event, but first he had to remove all the dolls that once filled the room from one end to the other. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in this year’s draft taking place from multiple remote locations, and each is unique in its own way.
For the sake of everyone’s health and well-being, the NFL Draft will not be a gathering of teams and young players looking ahead to their future. This year, teams will make selections from their own locations, while Goodell will announce each pick from his Westchester County home.
Early on Thursday, Goodell was a guest on Good Morning America, and he spoke with Robin Roberts about how things will transpire in the draft. He will announce each selection from his basement, which has wood paneling and plenty of NFL memorabilia.
Goodell did let the world know that it doesn’t always look like the dream room of an NFL fan.
. @nflcommish talks to @robinroberts about the 1st ever virtual draft tonight and why it was important to carry on with the 2020 #NFLDraft amid coronavirus. His message to players: “With all that’s going on, we need more experiences together.” pic.twitter.com/EQ2nHQmbr2
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 23, 2020
Goodell and his wife, Jane Skinner, have twin girls who usually take over that room by storing their dolls in it. The toys needed to be cleared out for the weekend so that the commissioner could have his “man cave” ready for the draft.
One of the biggest concerns for this year’s draft is internet connection and if each team can make their picks on time. After some tests, Goodell said that his connection “worked pretty well last night.”
Some people had expressed concern over the NFL still holding the draft as scheduled. With plans announced for each team to conduct the draft from their remote locations, concerns eased up, and fans became more comfortable with the event proceeding.
While the draft is still happening, Goodell spoke about the possibility of the 2020 regular season being canceled. He didn’t know what was going to happen but said the NFL would prepare as if the season will take place as scheduled.
“Our job is to be ready. We’ll be ready to make alternatives… we’re going to put public safety number one as we always do and make sure that our fans, our players, all the participants, coaches, everyone are able to be in a safe environment.”
Fans who feel they will miss out on booing Goodell as he takes the stage at the draft can rest easy. USA Today is reporting that Bud Light has come up with a unique way of booing the commissioner from home.