NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is ready for more celebratory hugs that can turn into heavy lifting

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Nobody lifts more weight at the NFL draft than Commissioner Roger Goodell.

His celebratory hugs with excited first-round picks originated 15 years ago and endured through his back surgery last year. Some players squeeze Goodell so hard they end up lifting him up in the air. Sometimes, the roles get reversed and Goodell does all the carrying.

It's hard work for a 66-year-old man, even one who's in shape.

''I do train for that, that's no joke, I do,'' Goodell said Wednesday, adding that he was in the gym earlier in the morning. ''And to get through this weekend is physically hard.''

Last year, Goodell had surgery on his back a few weeks before the draft. He walked around gingerly in the days leading up to it and his chiropractor joined him in Detroit.

Draft prospects were aware of Goodell's condition and mostly took it easy on him until Tennessee drafted JC Latham with the seventh pick. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound offensive tackle walked onto the stage, smacked hands with Goodell and pulled him in for a bear hug, lifting him several inches off the ground.

Everyone watching cringed, especially Goodell's doctor.

''I did ask if you're going to do it, just go high, and he did,'' Goodell said. ''It didn't hurt and I'm OK so it was a good moment.''

Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue in 2006, remembers his first draft hug came from Gerald McCoy. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected McCoy, a defensive tackle from Oklahoma with the third overall pick, in 2010.

''They came to my office, all the players, the day before, and we spent a couple hours, and he was a real jokester, and he still is today,'' Goodell said of McCoy, who made six Pro Bowls in 11 seasons. ''You can see he's the leader in the room. He sort of took over the room and he was very funny and you thought that this guy was going to never break down. But he pulled me aside at the end and he said: ‘You know I lost my mother.'

''And when he came out, I thought he was going to kill me. He's a big guy and it was all emotion. He just was crying and saying: ‘My mother would be so proud of this.' And it just was a moment that I'll never forget. And I think it sort of took off from there. I think a few other players did it that year, and then it just sort of, it became a thing. And yeah, I do love it. You're part of that moment. It's sometimes painful, sometimes these guys get the best of me. They're big, and they're strong, and it is an emotional time, so they don't even really remember how strong they are.''

In 2019, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Christian Wilkins nearly knocked Goodell off his feet. He pointed up in the air when he approached Goodell, signaling for a leap. Goodell missed the sign so Wilkins jumped up and nearly floored him. Goodell, who is about 6-foot-2, is no slouch so he held his ground and Wilkins brought him in for a giant hug.

Tyree Wilson walked on stage in 2023 and picked Goodell up like a child, almost like he was about to give him a reverse suplex in wrestling.

The good news for Goodell. He just had his one-year checkup after back surgery and is cleared for lift-off.

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