HOUSTON — The N.F.L. seems to have built a virtual wall around the New England Patriots when it comes to public discussion of two lightning-rod topics for the team: President Trump (a friend of the team’s owner, coach and star quarterback) and Roger Goodell, the league’s commissioner, who punished the team after a cheating investigation.At a prime-time event on Monday called Opening Night, in which reporters received access to the participants in Sunday’s Super Bowl, hundreds of reporters peppered members of the teams with all manner of questions, including what they thought of Trump and Goodell.
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