NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Calls Fans' Booing 'A Big Part of the Draft'

The 2020 NFL draft will be a completely remote and digital event because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means at least one time-honored tradition—fans booing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell—will be difficult to replicate. 

But Goodell hinted the NFL might have a plan for that.

"I guess you're going to have to show up and watch," he told Peter King of NBC Sports. "But I will say this: It's a big part of the draft. I personally love the engagement with our fans. That [booing] is included. For us, we had to think through, 'How are we going to bring the fans into the event? How are we going to allow the boo to be a part of the event as it has been in the past?'"

King previously reported that "a virtual montage of 15 fans of the team on the clock will be the backdrop behind Goodell, with those fans reacting (booing?) to the commissioner and to whoever their team picks."

Turns out the booing will in fact be piped into the draft via a promotion from Budweiser, which will also be donating money to the NFL Draft-a-Thon:

This year's draft will be a unique experience, with everything occurring remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As SI.com's Albert Breer reported, "In total, there will be over 170 feeds, which will make the show quite the juggling act."

Additionally, "Fifty-eight players have agreed to have the take-home kits set up from their houses, as have the head coaches and GMs (or GM equivalents) from all 32 teams. I was told that the oversight was going to be necessary all along—to ensure no one was flouting the rules and gaining an unfair advantage."

So the NFL is treading new ground with this year's draft, out of necessity. It will have an entirely different feel than the live events, though it sounds as though the NFL might try to massage some familiarity into the proceedings, even if that includes some booing of Goodell.