2012 NFL Draft: Should Fans Welcome Roger Goodell with Boos or Cheers?

Roger Goodell was roundly booed at the start of the 2011 NFL draft. Frankly, he should have been booed. The league was mired in a lockout that had owners and players at odds and fans stuck in the middle, wondering when their beloved game would return.

Goodell handled that moment as well as he handled much of the public relations during the lockout: poorly. Really, what was he supposed to do with a room full of people booing him and chanting, "We want football"? He had to face the music, and he did—as awkwardly as possible.

But this isn't 2011. As Josh Zerkle and I posit in the video, is this the year Goodell actually gets cheered at the draft? 

Does any commissioner get cheered by fans, or will the absence of booing equate to cheers? We also pose the question of whether or not he should get booed. 

Closing in on the start of the 2012 NFL draft, things are much better for Goodell and the NFL than they were a year ago. The league didn't miss so much as one snap due to the lockout, and Goodell should get credit for securing labor peace while bringing in billions of dollars in new television contracts.

The commissioner has also taken measures to ensure player safety. However, Goodell has been fining and suspending with relative subjectivity, especially if you play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Playing the roles of judge, jury and executioner also makes him come off as a bit of a control freak.

That said, most of Goodell's measures have come in an effort to make the league safer for the players.

It's hard to boo that.

Sure, Cowboys and Redskins fans might boo Goodell for whacking both teams with salary cap punishments after their 2010 spending sprees caught up to them. And yes, Saints fans might boo the commissioner for hitting Sean Payton and his staff with an iron fist in the wake of Bountygate.

Certainly, when taking a step back, Saints fans should be mad at their own team well before directing their ire at Goodell.

Really, this might be the year to cheer.