| Goodell: Persona non grata. (via @ALLIN1PRO on Twitter) |
Here's something you may not know: not every player in the NFL is a huge fan of commissioner Roger Goodell. CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman wrote about this last month. Turns out, apathy, not hatred, best describes the general feeling among players about Goodell.
Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, however, isn't your typical NFL player. The commissioner suspended him for the 2012 season for his role in the Saints bounty scandal so it's not altogether surprising that Goodell isn't welcome at Brother Jimmy's BBQ in Miami where Vilma is a part owner along with Panthers linebacker Jon Beason and Broncos linebacker D.J. Williams. We know this because the signs out front that read "DO NOT SERVE THIS MAN" leave no room for confusion.
USA Today confirmed with an employee of the restaurant that the the signs (plural) are posted on all the restaurant's front windows as well as in the dining room.
Vilma, Beason and Williams all played at the University of Miami, and like Vilma, Williams faces a suspension in 2012 (though it's just six games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy).
This location of Brother Jimmy's BBQ has been open for a grand total of two weeks so we're guessing Goodell wasn't invited to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. There is good news, though: if the commissioner has a hankerin' for Swamp Water or a Carolina Cooler: there are five locations in New York City.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.