One of the traditions of recent drafts may not continue on Thursday night in Detroit.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had back surgery three weeks ago. Goodell is reportedly recovering well from the procedure, but it is uncertain whether he will be giving hugs to the first-round picks that are in attendance when they come on stage after the picks are in.
If the hugs were to be put on pause, it would take away some of the better visuals from draft nights during the Goodell era. The 2020 draft also unfolded without hugs as it took place virtually due to COVID precautions.
Hugging isn’t the only hallmark of Goodell-run drafts. There’s also the booing from the crowd for his initial appearance, so we’ll have to see if the back surgery report will take any wind out of those sails.