On Tuesday, while teasing an interview with NBA commissioner Adam Silver for Wednesday, Pat McAfee laid down a challenge for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
“We’re starting to become a commish show, except for one,” McAfee said. “Hey Rog. Rog. Don’t be scared, Rog. Come on, Rog. Put your big boy pants on.”
The Pat McAfee Show crew tells NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to "nut up" and come on the show for an interview pic.twitter.com/OM6LofEwA6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 5, 2023
While the antagonistic nature of McAfee’s invitation to Goodell might not have been the best course of action, it likely paled in comparison to the damage done by his ensuing interview with Silver. Despite the NBA commissioner joining McAfee to promote the league’s In-Season Tournament, the biggest headline the interview produced was Silver’s curious decision to invoke Henry Kissinger while discussing the league’s role in international relations.
Considering the overwhelming amount of negative attention Silver received for the interview, it would be understandable for Goodell to want to avoid a similar fate. But here’s the thing about Silver’s misstep: it was self-inflicted. And if ever there was an opportunity for Goodell to outshine his NBA counterpart, this is it.
After all, not only would Goodell likely come out of his interview looking better than Silver, but he would get bonus points for responding to McAfee’s challenge. Throughout the week, the former All-Pro punter has challenged Goodell to appear on his show, a tactic that has implied the promise of a hard-hitting interview for what would likely be anything but that.
McAfee even said as much, while discussing Goodell’s salary during his tease.
“$60 [million a year]. That might be one of the questions,” McAfee said. “I’m gonna say he’s worth it, by the way, Rog.”
While one could argue that the NFL commissioner doesn’t have anything to gain by appearing on The Pat McAfee Show — the league is going to be insanely popular either way — Silver’s gaffe turned what would have been a layup of an interview for Goodell into a slam dunk. That is, of course, so long as he can avoid discussing historical geopolitics.
