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After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, Roger Goodell has finally returned to Gillette Stadium.

The NFL commissioner was on hand for the Patriots' preseason opener against the Jaguars on Thursday. According to the Boston Globe, Goodell randomly decided to "pop" in for the game because he was in the Boston area. 

Goodell, who's not exactly Mr. Popular in Boston, sat in a box with Patriots owner Robert Kraft. 

Before Thursday, Goodell hadn't attended a game at Gillette since January 2015 when Deflategate started following the Patriots' AFC title win over the Colts. Goodell basically became a villain in the Boston area in May 2015 after Tom Brady's four-game suspension was handed out for the first time. 

The good news for Goodell is that it looks like he's going to survive his first visit back to Gillette, even though at least one Patriots player thought he wouldn't. Back in February, Rob Gronkowski said that Goodell was hated so much in New England that he wouldn't "even be able to land at the airport" if he tried to attend a game. 

Goodell is still planning to attend to the first game of the NFL regular season, which will be played in New England on Sept. 7. It's possible that the commissioner is hoping that his preseason visit to Gillette will take some sting off his visit for the opener.

That's probably not going to happen though. If anything Goodell's probably going to hear a few extra boos when he walks into the stadium on Sept. 7.