Roger Goodell dodges question during ManningCast about his 'favorite' Snoop Dogg song
During his guest appearance on the ManningCast Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell looked at ease while talking about his travels with John Madden, the rationale behind a 17th regular-season game and other football-related topics.
Then, in the second quarter, the conversation veered in another direction.
"Commissioner, we have Snoop Dogg joining us in the third quarter," Peyton Manning said. "He’s also one of the performers in Super Bowl halftime this year. And the question on my mind, and everybody’s mind, is what is your favorite Snoop Dogg song?"
With Peyton and Eli Manning co-hosting their ninth ManningCast, the ESPN2 telecast of Monday Night Football, the commissioner appeared to dodge the question.
"You know, listen, we’re excited about having our halftime show with Snoop in there and we’ve got some great performers," Goodell replied. "I don’t think I could tell you a single title without violating your rules on using language on air, so I think I’m going to have to pass on that one."
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A clever way to avoid pleading ignorance? Or is that an unfair assumption considering the exchange that followed as the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Cleveland Browns.
Eli: "No, you’re allowed to curse on this show."
Goodell: "I think I remember Marshawn, so I’m going to watch myself." (Marshawn Lynch, the retired NFL running back, dropped an f-bomb and used other expletives during his guest appearance on the ManningCast Oct. 25.)
Eli: "I think Marshawn had a little gin and juice that night before he came on the show."
Peyton: "It was Hennessy."
Eli: "I was trying to do a Snoop song. Obviously you didn’t know that Snoop sang that song."
Get it? "Gin and Juice" is the title of one of Snoop’s most famous songs.
Goodell: "I got that Eli."
Eli: "Thank you Roger, I appreciate that."
Goodell: "I’m with you, Eli."
Hmm.
Was Goodell as hip to the moment as he led viewers to believe? Can the commissioner be found wandering about the halls of the NFL headquarters rapping to no one in particular, "With so much drama in the L-B-C, it’s kind of hard bein’ Snoop D-O-double-G?"
‘NFL IS ACCEPTING HIP HOP’
It’s doubtful Snoop Dogg will take any offense if it turns out Goodell knows none of Snoop’s song by title. During his appearance on the ManningCast, Snoop promised a great performance after Peyton asked about his being booked to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show along with Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Mary J. Blige.
"We so thankful that the NFL is accepting hip hop on stage and letting us do what we do," Snoop said. "We plan on putting together a great show to give the people something that they been waiting on.
"You know, they love to watch a Super Bowl game but at the same time at halftime, we be loving to see who’s going to perform. So we’re going to give you the greatest performance you’ve ever seen hip hop history."
ELI, SNOOP & THE MOTHERSHIP
Goodell did the guest appearance from his basement, and it was probably recognizable to many NFL fans. After all, it’s where Goodell announced the first-round picks of the NFL draft in April 2020, at a time where the pandemic restricted face-to-face contact.
Then there was the third-quarter guest.
Eli: "Snoop, where are you right now? What is that room? It looks like a dome or something."
Snoop: "Yeah, this is the mothership, Eli. This is where I put it down, this is where I make my music."
Where Snoop works his magic, Eli asked.
Snoop: “Yes, Sir. This is where we’re going to make it happen at. I got the mic booth hot for you right now."
FRENCH POETRY BUT NO DEER ANTLERS
The bookshelf behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during his guest appearance in the fourth quarter piqued the curiosity of the Manning brothers.
"Yeah, what are we reading on a Monday or a Tuesday?" Peyton wondered aloud.
Rodgers glanced at the bookshelf.
"Yeah, a lot of French poetry," he said. "Got 'Atlas Shrugged' (by) Ayn Rand over here. You know, I rearranged to look like, you know, the whole thing is filled here."
Peyton pointed out that when Brett Favre made a guest appearance on the ManningCast from a room in which no books could be seen. But, Peyton said, the former Green Bay Packers quarterback did have deer that he’d killed, mounted ducks and "a lot of camo."
Rodgers, who played with Favre in Green Bay, chuckled.
"That sounds about right," he said.
PEYTON ON BAKER MAYFIELD MECHANICS
When Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield completed a pass in the third quarter, he elicited some interesting analysis from Peyton.
"I think Baker gets in trouble sometimes, Eli, he throws and he doesn’t finish,'' Peyton said. "That ball sails on him sometimes. Sometimes his left foot’s not pointed toward the target. Right there, he got that left foot pointed toward the target, made his best throw of the night.''
RIDING WITH JOHN MADDEN
Turns out Goodell spent time traveling on Madden’s famous bus during preseason tours of NFL training camps.
"Nobody loved to talk football more than Coach Madden," Goodell said. "In some ways it was exhausting … He never stopped talking about football."
Well, there was this one time …
"I’ll never forget the time we went to Chili’s and we went up to the front table and they ran out of chili,'' Goodell said. "And Coach Madden could not get over that. Chili’s does not have chili. And he rode that for another 500 miles."
‘NO ONE’S BUYING THE TOE INJURY’
Peyton and Eli spared Rodgers any COVID-19 questions. But the Manning brothers took some playful jabs at the Packers QB, who has been playing with an injured toe since late November.
"Hey, Aaron, I don’t think anyone’s buying the toe injury anymore," Eli said. "I mean, ever since you faked the toe injury, you’ve thrown like 25 touchdowns and no interceptions. So it’s not working anymore. No one’s believing it, so you don’t have to talk about anymore."
Rodgers grinned.
"I appreciate that," replied Rodgers, who in November denied he has "COVID toe" and at the time put the foot in front of a camera. "I will say the internet is undefeated. From the memes this year that I’ve provided allowed for a lot of humor at my expense. … With me showing my toe and my chin strap over my nose in Arizona, I think that definitely helped out meme lovers everywhere this year, I’d say."