The NFL is bringing new dynamics to Thursday night football, and Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appeared to be in a standoff.
Thursday night football was considered a testament for franchises and players as they had to squeeze through a tight schedule in the span of a week. A team can play one TNF in a single season, and now the NFL is raising the bar to two TNF per season.
The NFL announced that teams can now have two Thursday Night Football games per season. Limit was one. Now that’s changed.
Flexing for TNF is not happening … for now.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 28, 2023
As much as fans and players love to participate in games week in and week out, they are not loving the idea of two games on Thursday night in a season. Patrick and Roger didn’t back down from their standpoint a bit.
What happened between Patrick Mahomes and Roger Goodell?
As soon as the news circulated yesterday, the 27-year-old quarterback expressed his thoughts on Twitter with a single emoji that clearly indicated his dissent.
🤦🏽♂️ https://t.co/7kIyOGpOvV
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) March 28, 2023
Amid this situation, the tweet from the reigning Super Bowl MVP fueled discontent among the NFL community, and the commissioner didn’t like the contradiction from one of his favorite athletes. He defended his idea in light of Mahomes’ tweet, and the transition wasn’t smooth.
“I don’t think we’re putting Amazon ahead of our players… The data doesn’t show a higher injury rate… I hear from players who also love the 10 days after a Thursday Night game. We have to try to balance all of it,” the 64-year-old said.
Roger Goodell on Patrick Mahomes’ tweet: “I don’t think we’re putting Amazon over our players. … The data doesn't show higher injury rate.'. … I hear from players who also love the 10 days after a Thursday Night game. We have to try to balance all of it. ” https://t.co/oWZH0O20aC
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 29, 2023
It’s nothing new for the current commission to overlook the athlete’s health and neglect the potential mistreatment of their health and safety protocol. Back in January, when the Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed and was taken to the hospital after a cardiac arrest, Goodell suggested the game should continue.
However, the new proposal has the positive note of a 15-day notice prior to TNF so that the franchises can plan and ease up on the players ahead of the game. But that doesn’t diminish the possibility of injuries given the most physical nature of the sports industry.
What’s your take on TNF? Let us know your opinions in the comment section.
