default-cbs-image

Count Browns tackle Joe Thomas among the people whose favorite scene of Super Bowl LI actually came after the game, when commissioner Roger Goodell had to hand the Lombardi Trophy off to the Patriots.

Goodell went on a crusade against the Patriots and Tom Brady in the Deflategate saga, and was visibly uncomfortable congratulating the team amid a raucous chorus of boos.

"I especially enjoyed how over-eager Roger was to smile at all the Patriots and give them a big handshake, but then as soon as he gave them the trophy he scurried off the stage like a rat," Thomas told PFT Live. "It was awesome."

Goodell is not exactly the most popular figure among NFL players, so it's not a surprise that somebody would take pleasure in watching him squirm in an uncomfortable situation.

That it was league statesman Joe Thomas -- who at this point is known more than anything else for his unyielding loyalty to the Browns despite their horribleness in the midst of his dominance -- taking pleasure in it might seem like a surprise, but he has been an outspoken critic of Deflategate in the past.

"I would equate what [Tom Brady] did to driving 66 [mph] in a 65 speed zone, and getting the death penalty," Thomas said during training camp in 2015.

"I'm not sure if [Goodell] realizes what he's doing is brilliant, but what he's doing is brilliant because he's made the NFL relevant 365 [days] by having these outrageous, ridiculous witch hunts," Thomas continued.

"It's made the game more popular than ever and it's become so much more of an entertainment business and it's making so much money. That's why I'm sure there's plenty of people saying this is embarrassing for the league. But it's an entertainment business when it comes right down to it. When the game gets eyeballs in newspapers and on TV, that's what in the end is the goal for everyone. And that's what this controversy is giving them."