Goodell won't attend Patriots season opener

For the first time since he became commissioner in 2006, Roger Goodell will not attend the NFL's season opener involving Tom Brady's New England Patriots, Fox Sports reported.

The NFL season kicks off with the Pittsburgh Steelers facing the Patriots, who will be celebrating their Super Bowl title one week after US judge Richard Berman struck down the league's suspension of Brady.

Goodell had been expected to attend the game at the Patriots' Gillette Stadium to witness the teams' championship banner-raising ceremony firsthand, but after Thursday's court decision Fox Sports reported that an NFL spokesperson said he would not attend.

Goodell's four-game ban of quarterback Brady for his role in the "Deflate-gate" fiasco was struck down by a US federal judge Thursday.

Goodell is expected to attend an NFL game during the opening weekend but it is not known which one.

Patriot fans had started a movement called "No Brady, No Banner" in which they wanted to get the ceremony delayed if Brady's suspension was not lifted.

Source: AFP