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NFL head tweets 'Key and Peele' joke (really)

Commentary: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is not usually a Twitter funster. Will his No Fun League make Twitter the centerpiece of a new attitude?

Chris Matyszczyk
2 min read

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Roger Goodell is suddenly fun?

Lisa Lake, Getty Images for SiriusXM

Focus long and hard enough on Twitter and you'll witness most things.

I never thought, however, that I'd see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell trying to be funny.

Should Goodell's presence have somehow evaded your notice, he's the crusty head of a very crusty league. It's one that's dogged by news of concussions, domestic violence arrests and dull games.

It's one that even polices celebrations after a touchdown. This, among other things, has led to the nickname: No Fun League.

On Tuesday, however, the NFL showed a stunning (for the NFL) level of humanity by relaxing the celebration rules a little. It even issued a statement with a headline ending in an exclamation point: "Touchdown celebrations: snow angels, group demonstrations and more are back!" It will astonish many that animated gifs of allowed celebrations were attached to this statement.

Naturally, not all demonstrations of positive emotion are allowed. This led to Goodell taking to Twitter and musing: "Don't get any ideas about pumps @KeeganMKey - they're still not OK under the new policy #FootballIsFamily."

This refers to a quite legendary "Key and Peele" sketch (video below) -- viewed by almost 17 million on YouTube -- in which (fictional) wide receiver Hingle McCringleberry keeps getting flagged for his three-pump celebration. Yes, it also involves suggestive hip-wiggling. That's a big no-no for the violent -- I mean, family friendly -- NFL.

But Goodell trying to be funny? This is as rare as a self-critical tweet from President Donald Trump.

You will suspect that a bright young intern emitted this attempt at wit on behalf of Goodell. The NFL didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Still, imagine the prospects for the next NFL season. Will the NFL commissioner suddenly garland Twitter with, say, Colin Kaepernick jokes? Or witticisms about how the Cleveland Browns always manage to be so bad?

And just imagine if the New England Patriots are losing and Goodell tweets: "Feeling a little deflated, Tom?"

Amazon, not Twitter, will be streaming Thursday night football games this coming season. The NFL commissioner (or his intern) could become Twitter's greatest asset in bringing fans back into the fold.

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