Patriots = dbags yet again

[rajncajn]

Patriots disappoint some wide-eyed youngsters.

Thu May 06, 2010 9:54 am EDT

Patriots disappoint some wide-eyed youngsters

 

By MJD

 

A bunch of kids at Lebanon Middle School in Connecticut got fired up to participate in the NFL's "Fuel Up to Play 60" program -- more than half of the kids at the school, in fact.

 

And because their participation rate was so high, they thought they won the right to have some real, actual New England Patriots come to their school. I imagine the youngsters thought they'd be mingling with Tom Brady(notes), Randy Moss(notes), Wes Welker(notes) ... at the very least, a Tully Banta-Cain(notes) or a Julian Edelman(notes).

 

Nope. They got an intern. He brought some exercise videos. Enjoy, kids!

 

From NorwichBulletin.com:

 

The Fuel up to Play 60 Web site stated if enough students participated in the program, they would be rewarded with a gym session complete with New England Patriots, said [health and physical education teacher Alyssa] Fabry. The students ended up with one of the highest participation rates in the state.

 

Instead, the hour featured a registered dietitian giving them tips on healthy eating and a communications intern from the New England Patriots playing kickboxing workout videos.

 

“The event was fun,” said seventh-grader Tom Bergamo, who won a (Patriot’s running back) Fred Taylor(notes) jersey for being the most dedicated student to the program. “But I was hoping to see a Patriot. I even brought pens and notebooks so I could get autographs.”

 

I was willing to give the Patriots the benefit of the doubt and believe that there was an honest mistake here ... until I read that they gave the kid a Fred Taylor jersey. Fred Taylor? Fred Taylor and his 269 yards last year? That's really the best you can do for the kid? What, was Zoltan Mesko(notes) too busy to sign a jersey?

 

The kids seemed to take it in stride, though.

 

"I thought it was fun,” student Levi Duharme said. "I like the videos; they were cool."

 

Well, it probably still beats science class. The young fellow is being a better sport about it than I would've been. If they were just going to send a random intern and some videos, I'd have at least demanded to see the video of the Rams practice before Super Bowl XXXVI.

[kpholmes]

I read this yesterday. While I'm one of the first to jump on the Patriot Hate-Train, this sounded like an honest misunderstanding on the schools part.

[Gonkis]

I wonder if the players even knew about it.

[Infinity]

I hate the patriots.

[rajncajn]

I wonder if the players even knew about it.

Probably not, I just thought it was funny. The Fred Taylor & Zoltan Mesko comment cracked me up.

[Azazello1313]

fred taylor jersey

 

edit to add: reminds me of once, when I was a kid and my dad took me to a nuggets game and they had a promotion where the first thousand kids or whatever got to have their picture taken with one of the nuggets. I was like, sweet, who am I going to get? I hope it's alex english. or maybe fat lever or dan issel. or at least calvin natt or michael adams. who did I get? bill friggin hanzlik. the 12th guy on the bench who only got time when they needed extra fouls to throw at hakeem olojuwan and ralph sampson. and worse still, this was a guy with grunge's haircut AND a porn moustache. lame.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Azazello1313

[tbimm]

fred taylor jersey

 

edit to add: reminds me of once, when I was a kid and my dad took me to a nuggets game and they had a promotion where the first thousand kids or whatever got to have their picture taken with one of the nuggets. I was like, sweet, who am I going to get? I hope it's alex english. or maybe fat lever or dan issel. or at least calvin natt or michael adams. who did I get? bill friggin hanzlik. the 12th guy on the bench who only got time when they needed extra fouls to throw at hakeem olojuwan and ralph sampson. and worse still, this was a guy with grunge's haircut AND a porn moustache. lame.

So that's what happened top you!

[Duchess Jack]

edit to add: and worse still, I had to sit on his lap. lame.

 

Edited May 7, 2010 by Duchess Jack

[CowboysDiehard]

What do you mean, "again"? They actually stopped at some point?

[skylive5]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_...?urn=nfl,239155

[Infinity]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_...?urn=nfl,239155

 

If your organization is rich enough and respected enough you can change the story however you please...

 

I don't buy that the entire patriots organization was unaware of what was going on.....that's all im saying. Just so happens that now after it happens, it was an accident but the entire time the event was going on they didn't want to clarify what the reward would entail

Edited May 7, 2010 by Infinity

[MikesVikes]

fred taylor jersey

 

edit to add: reminds me of once, when I was a kid and my dad took me to a nuggets game and they had a promotion where the first thousand kids or whatever got to have their picture taken with one of the nuggets. I was like, sweet, who am I going to get? I hope it's alex english. or maybe fat lever or dan issel. or at least calvin natt or michael adams. who did I get? bill friggin hanzlik. the 12th guy on the bench who only got time when they needed extra fouls to throw at hakeem olojuwan and ralph sampson. and worse still, this was a guy with grunge's haircut AND a porn moustache. lame.

 

When I was a kid, I had a teacher that had Alvin Adams for a son in law. But that's the wrong Adams and wrong Team.

[budlitebrad]

I'm not going to blindly criticize the Patriots just because they're the Patriots, but they should definitely send some players over to the school.

[McBoog]

"If they were just going to send a random intern and some videos, I'd have at least demanded to see the video of the Rams practice before Super Bowl XXXVI."

 

[Jackass]

If your organization is rich enough and respected enough you can change the story however you please...

 

I don't buy that the entire patriots organization was unaware of what was going on.....that's all im saying. Just so happens that now after it happens, it was an accident but the entire time the event was going on they didn't want to clarify what the reward would entail

 

Yeah, it's so unlikely that the Patriots would be unaware of a promotion that the New England Dairy Council was doing for a middle school in Connecticut.

[detlef]

Yeah, it's so unlikely that the Patriots would be unaware of a promotion that the New England Dairy Council was doing for a middle school in Connecticut.

Fair enough. I mean, it's pretty easy to imagine that being off the radar. However, they were able to rally enough to send a Fred Taylor jersey and an intern. They couldn't rally enough to send some actual players? Even if those players weren't top-tier? I was that age once and recall being awestruck to be in the presence of any NFL player, even a back up lineman. For starters, they're larger than life, and that sort of goes a long way.

 

Hell, I remember one time a friend of my mom's boyfriend at the time came and hung out with us when we went to the race track. He was apparently a former player for the Packers. A former player mind you, and I had never heard of him (and I was old enough (I think about 7 or 8) and aware enough to know if he was any of the big-name guys who played during the late 60s). I practically pissed myself. Just because I was hanging out with some dude who was allegedly a former pro.

 

So they can't grab a couple scrubs and send them down?

 

And why the hell don't they have a few signed spamshirts of someone more relevant kicking around for just such an emergency.

[Infinity]

Fair enough. I mean, it's pretty easy to imagine that being off the radar. However, they were able to rally enough to send a Fred Taylor jersey and an intern. They couldn't rally enough to send some actual players? Even if those players weren't top-tier? I was that age once and recall being awestruck to be in the presence of any NFL player, even a back up lineman. For starters, they're larger than life, and that sort of goes a long way.

 

Hell, I remember one time a friend of my mom's boyfriend at the time came and hung out with us when we went to the race track. He was apparently a former player for the Packers. A former player mind you, and I had never heard of him (and I was old enough (I think about 7 or 8) and aware enough to know if he was any of the big-name guys who played during the late 60s). I practically pissed myself. Just because I was hanging out with some dude who was allegedly a former pro.

 

So they can't grab a couple scrubs and send them down?

 

And why the hell don't they have a few signed spamshirts of someone more relevant kicking around for just such an emergency.

 

This is basically what i was implying.

[Shorttynaz]

And why the hell don't they have a few signed spamshirts of someone more relevant kicking around for just such an emergency.

Because Fred Taylor is a LONG TIME Patriots great. Duh!!

[forever in debt to mo lewis]

pretty funny...i havent been to the huddle in weeks...but i popped in just to see if there was a thread on this exact subject...and what do u know...lol...anyways...

 

"Last week I wrote about a rather dubious story that was blowing up around the blogosphere about how the Patriots had stiffed the kids at Lebanon (CT) Middle School. As it was initially reported, the Pats had supposedly told the kids that if they came to class, got plenty of exercise and ate their vegetables, some real live Patriots players would show up to their school. Only the Patriots sent some low level intern instead because they’re evil, they hate children and Mr. Kraft drinks delicious martinis made out of their salty tears. At least that was the take in the national press. The truth of the matter was that the Pats never made any such promise. The New England Dairy Council took full blame for the screw up, but by the time they did, the damage to the Patriots organization had already been done.

 

So leave it to that great humanitarian Bill Belichick to swoop in and rectify the situation:

 

The New England Patriots made up for a misunderstanding with Lebanon Middle School by sending two “celebrity coaches” to the school Wednesday. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, center Dan Koppen and team mascot Pat Patriot visited the school, speaking to the students in the school’s gymnasium. “I know that you want to get back to class, so we’ll keep this short,” Coach Belichick deadpanned to the students, who replied in concert with a hearty, drawn-out “No.”… Thank you very much for giving all of us such a great welcome this morning,” Coach Belichick said to the students. “I know it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the generosity and the time Mr. Kraft devoted to make this right, and it really shows the heart of the Patriots,” school principal Rob Laskarzewski told Patriots Today.

 

So there you have it. Another problem solved by the Hooded One. The Dairy Council spills milk all over the Pats reputation and rather than cry about it, Belichick, his Pro Bowl center and their mascot clean it up. I’m sure this “Pats are Good Guys” story won’t get nearly the play that the inaccurate “Pats Break Kids Hearts” story did, but that’s not what’s important. The only thing that counts is those young lives that will now be changed forever by their brush with greatness yesterday. Godspeed, kids. May your hats fly as high as your dreams."

 

 

no go ahead and kill the patriots for sending dan koppen instead of tom brady....because we all know that tom brady has tons of free time and doesnt actually spend time being a father to his children right?

[Shorttynaz]

I’m sure this “Pats are Good Guys” story won’t get nearly the play that the inaccurate “Pats Break Kids Hearts” story did, but that’s not what’s important.

Cause the media never really likes to eat crow after they blast something - in this case the Pats.

 

(Not to hijack this post, but..) The media did the same thing when the Colts lost the SB and then it was reported that the Colts were greeted by a measly 11 fans at the airport. What the media FAILED to report was there was law enforcement officials everywhere turning people away as it was a security concern. While I don't live in Indy, I have several friends who do and did attempt to go and greet the Colts regardless of the weather, but were turned away by the cops. Did the media report that?? Nope!