Joe Thomas Discusses Roger Goodell Giving Patriots Trophy After Super Bowl LI

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas got his wish to see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell hand off the Super Bowl LI trophy to the New England Patriots. Suffice it to say he got some schadenfreudian glee out of how Goodell handled the awkward situation.

"I especially enjoyed how over-eager Roger was to smile at all the Patriots and give them a big handshake, but then as soon as he gave them the trophy he scurried off the stage like a rat," Thomas said Thursday during an appearance on PFT Live. "It was awesome."

During the presentation ceremony, Goodell was loudly booed to the point where his words were almost inaudible on the television broadcast. He then handed off the Lombardi Trophy to Patriots owner Robert Kraft, with whom the commissioner's relationship has been strained since his widely derided handling of the Deflategate scandal.

Quarterback Tom Brady and Goodell shared a very short handshake off of the podium. Veteran sports broadcaster Jim Gray was near the pair's on-field interaction, calling it "matter-of-fact." Gray said Goodell went out of his way to walk up to Brady, who did not seem open to a warm embrace. 

Gray described the scene to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times:

"

Tom kind of looked at his hand, [then] shook his hand. Roger said, "Congratulations," and he tried to pull him in, and Tom just stood there and said, "Thank you." 

It wasn’t contentious, but it wasn’t warm. I think Tom was caught off guard, probably expecting to see him on the podium. Then the commissioner said, "You played great," and all Tom did was say, "Thank you," nodded his head. Then, Roger walked away.

"

Goodell and Brady also shared a brief interaction during the presentation of the latter's Super Bowl MVP trophy the next day. Brady, who was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, largely took a neutral public stance.

"It’s an honor to be here and have the commissioner present us with the trophy," Brady told reporters. "It certainly means a lot and my kids will be happy to see that trophy. They always ask about it, and I get to bring them one home."

With that said, if defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's shirt choice is any indication, the Patriots likely took just as much glee in the situation as Thomas.