Roger Goodell bicycle, explained: NFL Commissioner, Lil Wayne make unique entrance to NFL Draft stage in Green Bay

Morgan Moriarty

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Roger Goodell bicycle, explained: NFL Commissioner, Lil Wayne make unique entrance to NFL Draft stage in Green Bay image

The 2025 NFL Draft is being held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the league's smallest market is hosting one of the league's biggest events. 

Before round one started, fans watching in person and at home were surprised to see NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, along with rapper Lil Wayne, ride out on bicycles.

How the 2025 NFL Draft got started was obviously unique, so let's take a look at why it was done. 

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Why did Goodell ride out on a bike? 

Goodell riding out on a bicycle appears to be a nod to their host city of Green Bay. 

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During Packers training camp every year, kids line up outside Green Bay's facilities waiting for players to come out. Packers players then pick the bike they want to ride to practice that day and ride alongside the kids on their way to practice: 

The Packers bike tradition dates back to 1958, right around when the team moved to Lambeau Field. Although there's some debate to who was the very first kid to give their bike to a player. One lifelong Packers fan David Goodner, has claimed to be in the past. 

“It was 1958 and the new City Stadium (later renamed Lambeau Field) had just been completed in ‘57. Scooter McClain was the Packers Head Coach and I was a 12-year-old kid with a brand-new Schwinn Jaguar Bicycle. I lived only a few blocks from the field and I was fanatical about football. I rode my bike to the stadium twice every day to watch the team practice,” Goodner remembered:

Goodner’s favorite player was John Symank, a defensive back and usually the first player dressed for practice. So, one day, Goodner worked up the courage to ask Symank if he’d like to hop on the back of his bike and ride down to the field with him. The d-back smiled, and said, “Sure.”

“I can’t describe the thrill of being 12 years old and riding with my football hero twice a day,” Goodman said.

According to a Packers historian, the tradition didn't really take off and become like it is today until the 1970s. 

"The bike riding began in 1959 with just a couple kids who happened to bring their bikes to see and watch the Packers practice," Larry Luedke, born and raised in Green Bay, said via Packers.com.

"I remember when Lombardi took over (in 1959)… some of us letting players use our bikes, we running alongside," Gary Van Ess added.

As for Lil Wayne, the rapper is a lifelong Packers fan, so having him here to kick the draft off makes plenty of sense.

Good for Goodell for giving a nod to the host city of Green Bay. 

Morgan Moriarty

Morgan Moriarty joined The Sporting News as a content producer in the fall of 2024. Her sports journalism career started at the University of Florida in 2012, where she graduated in 2015. She has covered college football and basketball, the NFL and numerous other major sports for outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, Saturday Down South, UPROXX Sports and SB Nation. She also covers college football for Bleacher Report, and is a featured guest on various CNN programs.