Goodell towels take Gillette Stadium by storm

By Bianca Buono

bbuono@abc6.com

@BBuonoABC6

Football is back in Foxboro and the focus Thursday night is the raising of the fifth championship banner; but a close second is the much anticipated arrival of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Hours before the game, Patriots fans scoured the parking lot at Gillette Stadium in search of the coveted turquoise towel featuring Goodell with a clown nose. 

The towels were handed out by Barstool Sports in what they called Operation Clownface. On Wednesday night, 70,000 of them were distributed and on Thursday they were handed out to fans.

The grudge against the commissioner dates back to the days of "deflategate."

Former Patriots offensive tackle Matt Light also got in on the Goodell action. His company, Keel Vodka, partnered with Davio’s restaurant at Patriot Place. Together, they developed a cocktail called the "Dirty Goodell."

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy tells ABC6 he spent $140,000 on the towels and relied on 2,000 volunteers to pass them out.