Commissioner Roger Goodell is not the only NFL executive who will be absent from this year's season opener between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots.
David Tepper, who has a minority ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be enjoying the game from his living room on Thursday evening.
"I was going to go up there, but...our defense is...hopefully it will show better than it did in preseason," Tepper said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" Thursday morning.
That wasn't his only reason for skipping the big game.
"I'm not fond of the Patriots these days and sometimes I have a problem keeping my mouth shut," he said. "So, I figured I'd just stay home."
Earlier this year, the Patriots were accused of intentionally deflating footballs during a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. Last week, a judge's ruling nullified a four-game suspension against quarterback Tom Brady set by Commissioner Goodell in the wake of these allegations.