He had known gang affiliations. That and his known drug use were exactly why so many teams passed on him and he dropped to the 4th round.
No doubt Hernandez will be convicted and serve prison time. The least he's done is obstruct justice and destroy evidence during a murder. The worst he's done is murder a person or he had others do the dirty deed for him. Hernandez will never catch another pass from Tom Brady, guaranteed.
I don't have any axe to grind regarding the Pats other than I hate them as a rival. BB is clearly a superior coach, organizationally they have done a great job at staying near the top even after they were caught cheating and employed numerous unsavory characters both on and off the field for years. I have no issue with BB cheating to gain an edge professionally or cheating on his wife or embarrassing his family by publicly keeping a mistress. I have no issue with the Pats drafting or signing free agent thugs or criminals. I have no issue with the NFL watering down it's product and trying to maintain a squeaky clean image in order to create a large national interest for 17 weeks before the playoffs begin. Even though the league is filled with thugs, thug wanabee's and all kinds of less than savory agents, coaches, and players I understand that you can't have a brand with broad appeal based on the WWF formula. The NFL has tried to mainstream themselves and create an image. The Pats as one of the most successful teams of the decade have had the public relations machine of the NFL and the networks that profit on the league try and create a myth around the Pats as part of that image machine. Lets face it if one of the NFL's most successful teams was portrayed as it really was it won't exactly help mainstream what was essentially a gladiator sport into the nice clean money making sport it is today. My only point is the emperor is naked and he isn't what he was portrayed to be. As a Jets fan, a fan of a second tier organization, it's not that important for the league to create a phony image around our team, in fact it has helped the league promote itself by having rivals broken up into good guys and bad guys. We, as Jets fans have had to deal with the reality of what we are rather than the phony image the league and network portray one of our biggest rivals as. As a Jets fan it's refreshing to see that the really good teams are just as unsavory, filled with contemptible players, coaches and owners as we are. There is no longer the "Guys in the White Hats" and the "Guys in the Black Hats" when the Jets face the Pats.
"After he signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension in August, Hernandez said he had conquered his irresponsible impulses and that Patriots owner Robert Kraft “trusts my character.’’ “You get changed by the Patriots’ Way,’’ Hernandez said." ... In 2011, Kraft told the Associated Press, “In my family, we treat everyone the same, as long as they are people of character. I’ve got this thing. You only hang out with good people. You get the turkeys out of your life.’’ Last year alone, the Patriots reacquired wide receiver Donté Stallworth, who killed a man while driving drunk in 2009, and cornerback Aqib Talib, who was charged in 2009 with assaulting a taxi driver and indicted in 2011 for allegedly firing a gun at his sister’s boyfriend." Until he is cut, Kraft condones Hernandez's actions and considers him a good person. Obstructing justice is apparently within the realm of the Pat Way.
He won't be cut because of the cap implications and he shouldn't be cut because despite the fact that the court of public opinion says he obstructed justice until he is convicted of it he is an innocent man. I think he's probably a scumbag and probably is guilty of obstruction as well as at the very least an accomplice to murder he does deserve his day on court. His quote is pretty funny though... The Patriot Way? You mean breaking the rules despite being told multiple times not to? Cheating on your wife with your secratery or leaving your pregnant girlfriend?
But... But... The Patriot Way takes precedence over football-related decisions! It's what separates them from the NFL's other 31 teams and why they're just better in every way!
You continue to be a desperate doofus. Latching onto this article as some sort of truth is the same thing as a moron Pats fan latching onto a Cimini article as an indictment of the Jets. Now go Google "indictment" because we both know you were scratching your head when you read that word.
So if Pats were making the same decisions as everyone else, why then they are praised at all times? Yes, there are “What’s up with BB?”-type comments, but those are accompanied by enevitable “He’ll pull out of this” or “It’s not as bad as …” Do you honestly believe that the media is treating NE the same as everyone else? Pats' locker room is no magic place where all ills are cured and BB is not particularly special at talent evaluation, at least not lately. So yes, the Pats are losing their way, but of course it's hard to admit it after being used to good publicity.
The guy wrote what most Jets fans were saying for years. He is well-versed and gives solid examples. He is also from Boston, which is added benefit. If you have a problem with me using it as a conversation point, feel free to go [find something on Google] yourself.
Don't worry; the role of making Jets fans look stupid is already permanently occupied by you -- there is no competing with that avatar.
You are missing the point. The term "losing their way" implies a change. Show me that change and I will be happy to listen. But don't start talking about talent evaluation, because that is a different topic than what you have been arguing all along. Borges was writing about character issues, and you agreed with him. Show me that the Patriot have taken greater risks recently, or else you are wrong. The fact is that they have taken the same risks, and those risks have never really hurt them even if the football production didn't turn out to be there. The Patriots have had a period of sustained success that has been unprecedented in the NFL. Why do you think we read stories about Peyton Manning's blitz-reading acumen, yet the media only wants to focus on Jamarcus Russel's weight? It's because if journalists published articles about Peyton Manning gaining 5 pounds, no one anywhere would read it. And if journalist published articles about Jamarcus Russel's blitz reading acumen, their career probably wouldn't last long enough to publish another article. You might not like it, but it actually is very fair. If you win enough, people will say good things about you regardless of what city your team is in. If the Patriots are "losing their way", then other teams might want to try that out, since very few have had greater success in recent years.
How is it not loosing your way if before Pats wouldn't draft a player because of his questionable background while 3 years ago BB gave green light to Hernandez knowing of his off the field issues? This is a major change in philosophy of the organization, it's no longer the moral Pats way of the past -- it's doing what everyone else does. And you were supposed to be able to cure this sort of behavior with strong locker room and strong and demanding coach, but they didn't. Media meanwhile does work to sell stories, but they also choose which ones to sell. They repeat the same mantra over and over again until most people believe it. The story of BB's marital problems is a great summer filler, but it was bypassed while Rex's sexual habits that he practices with his own wife were the topic of conversation for 3 weeks. Goodson's recent bust immediately drew screams of "When are you gonna release him, else you're classless bastards" coverage while much more serious story of Hernandez gets placid "Lets see and wait what they find out" response. Can you in all honestly say that Pats don't get preferential treatment? Yes, as a Jets fan I perhaps go somewhat overboard on the hope that this story growth legs. The truth is that the media will likely continue to kiss Pats rings and look elsewhere for a story, or fabricate one. In term of being competitive you won't loose your way, not until Brady is gone. But you no longer are the class-act franchise from before and media does give Pats preferential treatment and continues building up this image despite growing evidence.
Holy crap, you have me on my toes now. Is this the "I know you are but what am I" response or the "I'm rubber, you're glue" response??? There are plenty of ways to explain the current failures of the Patriots intelligently. You seem oblivious to all of them. Pull your head out of your ass, already.
