The NFL might be playing chess, but ex-Packers VP Andrew Brandt just exposed commissioner Roger Goodell’s biggest loophole like its checkers. While fans geared up for Friday Night Football, Brandt’s bombshell tweet reminded everyone that the league’s bending congressional rules—and getting away with it.

On Sept. 6, Brandt dropped a bomb on X, highlighting how the league is sidestepping a long-standing Congressional law to host a Friday night game. “With an early Labor Day this year, tonight is the first Friday of September, the first time this has coincided with the start of the NFL season since 2019. Thus, the NFL is in the clear with the language of the law tonight. It won’t be able to do so over the next few years,” he tweeted. His post quickly sent ripples through the football community, sparking questions about how the league continues to dodge rules like a QB avoiding a sack.

But Brandt wasn’t done. He laid it all out in previous tweets, reminding fans that Congress, back in 1961, gave the NFL a golden ticket through the Sports Broadcasting Act. The law allowed the league to pool media rights for all teams—giving rise to the monster national broadcasts we see today. But there was a catch! Congress also banned the NFL from playing on Friday nights after 6 PM ET, out of respect for high school football. “The 1961 Sports Broadcasting Act gave the NFL an antitrust exemption… It is the reason all NFL games are national broadcasts. In allowing this, Congress prohibited the NFL from airing ‘all or a substantial part’ of pro football games on Fridays after 6pm ET, in deference to high school football games around the country,” he tweeted. So, how did the Friday Night Eagles-Packers game get a pass?

Turns out, the rule only applies starting the second Friday in September. The former Green Bay’s VP alluded, “The timing of the prohibition created a loophole that the NFL jumped through with tonight’s game.” This matchup between the Eagles and Packers in Brazil? Technically, it’s legal—at least for now.

But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s got bigger plans in mind. Before kickoff, Goodell shared his vision for the league’s international expansion. “The ownership’s approved eight games already… I hope to get that to 16 at some point in the future,” he asserted, with Friday’s Brazil game marking the first in South America. And with London, Munich, and possibly Madrid on the horizon, the NFL’s global footprint’s growing fast.

While the league’s busy playing its international chess game, fans aren’t too thrilled about some of the basics—like field conditions. As the Eagles and Packers took the field, social media lit up with complaints about the state of the pitch, putting yet another spotlight on the NFL’s ambitious (and sometimes messy) ventures abroad.

Slippery turf takes center stage in Roger Goodell’s NFL Brazil debut 

The NFL’s big debut in Brazil wasn’t just about touchdowns—it was about staying on your feet. As the Eagles and Packers clashed at Neo Quimica Arena, the field turned into a slip ‘n’ slide, and it wasn’t pretty.

All week, players talked about safety concerns, but no one saw this coming. The slick turf had everyone slipping left and right. Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley wiped out for a five-yard loss on his opening carry. Luckily, he shook it off and still found the end zone twice, including a sweet 18-yard pass from Jalen Hurts.

On the Packers’ side, it wasn’t much better. Jordan Love almost threw a pick after sliding out on 1st-and-10, and Green Bay’s defense? Let’s just say there were more missed tackles than they’d like to admit.

Even ex-Texans DE J.J. Watt couldn’t resist jumping into the conversation. “Soccer fields are made for speed and agility… They’re not built for NFL players pushing and driving all game,” Watt posted on X, nailing the reason why this game felt more like a soccer match than football.

In the end, the Eagles pulled off a 28-21 win, but the real story? The field. Neo Quimica Arena might be great for Brazilian soccer, but it definitely wasn’t ready for NFL stars trying to break tackles. Fans are already throwing shade, and after this mess, the NFL’s next international game better bring more grip and fewer slips.