Roger Goodell says giving Tom Brady the Super Bowl trophy won't be awkward

One of the great story lines heading into Super Bowl LI is the New England Patriots-Roger Goodell feud. Goodell levied severe punishment against the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady for deflate-gate, and there’s the possibility he’ll have to hand the Patriots the Lombardi Trophy in less than two weeks.

It will be uncomfortable since we all know the history, but Goodell told Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports Radio that he’d have no problem giving Brady the trophy if the Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons on Feb. 5. Goodell suspended Brady four games for deflate-gate, and battled it in federal court for more than a year.

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“Not for a second,” Goodell said when asked if it would be uncomfortable giving Brady the trophy, via MassLive.com. “This is one of the great opportunities. We have, two dominant teams playing in the Super Bowl. The Patriots and Falcons have both earned the opportunity to be there. They deserve it. And whoever wins that championship is going to have to earn it. These are great teams. So I am going to be thrilled …

“Tom Brady is one of the all-time greats. He has been for several years. He’s on the precipice of at least potentially winning his fifth Super Bowl. He’s an extraordinary player, great performer and surefire Hall of Famer. So it would be an honor.”

Maybe that’s true. Despite the fact that Brady was given an excessive punishment even though Ted Wells’ report never pinpointed what Brady did in deflate-gate, Goodell’s actions seemed to come from reasons that had nothing to do with Brady. Owners reportedly pressured him after he didn’t do enough to the Patriots in the spygate scandal. Then when Brady fought back in court, it became a battle to preserve Goodell’s power to punish players as he sees fit. Brady, who had no previous violations in the NFL, seemed to be caught in the middle.

While it will be uncomfortable – a trophy presentation will happen on the field, and just imagine the reaction from Patriots fans when Goodell starts speaking – Goodell probably doesn’t have a vendetta against Brady.

But it’s understandable why Brady, who has been one of the most recognizable faces of the NFL through his career and one of the league’s greatest success stories, wouldn’t be thrilled to be on the same stage with Goodell. He got railroaded in deflate-gate, and it will be part of his football legacy no matter how unfair that is. Brady could also have to appear with Goodell the day after the Super Bowl at a scheduled news conference for the Super Bowl MVP.. That would be fun.

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The Patriots have to win the Super Bowl for the whole scenario to play out. And no matter what Goodell says, it would be awkward, not with just Brady but also coach Bill Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Goodell hasn’t been back to New England for a game since deflate-gate blew up, and he danced around why that’s the case. But we all can guess why he showed up twice in Atlanta these playoffs and didn’t go to either Patriots home game.

The Super Bowl is going to be an interesting matchup. If the Patriots win, the postgame party will be pretty interesting too.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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