On Thursday night, during the NFL Honors in Las Vegas, magicians Penn and Teller produced one of the most memorable moments in the show’s history, which gave the event an unexpected twist. They pulled off an incredible prank by making NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell disappear and replacing him with legendary Detroit Lions player Barry Sanders. Keegan-Michael Key, the emcee, introduced the pair and then joined in on their amazing antics, creating a show that had the audience laughing and in amazement.
This year’s NFL Honors showcased entertainment that went beyond the game itself, in addition to honoring exceptional accomplishments inside the league. Penn and Teller and Keegan-Michael Key’s partnership brought a special fusion of comedy, magic, and football to the stage. The magicians honored the game’s legends and illustrated the attractiveness of entertainment and sports to people of all ages by including Roger Goodell and Barry Sanders in their performance.
Penn and Teller, the world-famous magician team, instantly set the atmosphere for an extraordinary performance when Keegan-Michael Key introduced them to the audience by asking for two volunteers: one who was skilled at choosing cards and another who was game for a risky and exciting assignment. Playing the part to perfection, Key offered himself immediately as the expert card picker and then looked to the audience to identify someone to play the daring role.
When no one else offered to take up the exciting duty, Key made the decision to select NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. While Key stayed on stage to draw a card, Goodell found himself in a cage with a fan swirling cards around him. Penn & Teller inserted the entire deck to the cage, turned on the fan to disperse the cards, then covered the enclosure with a curtain after revealing his selected card to the audience. After a witty conversation with Key, the magicians lifted the curtain to reveal the fabled Barry Sanders standing in Goodell’s place. Sanders was dressed like a king, complete with robe and crown.
Key took a lighthearted turn and asked Goodell’s wife, who was sitting in the crowd, if they could prolong Barry’s stay. She graciously said yes.
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