Tag: Justin Rohrwasser

New Patriots kicker is removing his tattoo, but there are still so many questions

Justin Rohrwasser says he didn’t know what his tattoo meant, and will have it removed. Still, there are a LOT of questions.

Justin Rohrwasser, the kicker out of Marshall who was drafted by the New England Patriots last week, told Boston’s WBZ-TV that he will not only cover up but remove a tattoo on his arm of the roman numeral III — which is associated with the far-right militia group “The Three Percenters.”

Rohrwasser says he got the tattoo when he was 18 years old. He’s now 23, meaning he’s had the thing for five years without, according to him, understanding what it meant. Rohrwasser has maintained he thought it was a symbol of patriotism, not understanding the link to The Three Percenters group.

“As soon as I saw what it was linked to on Saturday, it was exactly that time I knew I had to get it totally taken off my body,” Rohrwasser said. “I said cover it up [to reporters], but I want to get it removed from my body. It’s shameful that I had it on there ignorantly.”

Still, I have questions:

How did no one tell him what his tattoo meant?

Within about three minutes of the Patriots drafting Rohrwasser, internet users had A) found photos of his tattoos, B) identified the one in question as a symbol of the Three Percenters, and C) shared it widely around the internet.

I’m not saying that everyone in Rohrwasser’s circle should have a working knowledge of the Three Percenters (I myself wasn’t specifically aware of the group), but after FIVE years, I find it incredibly hard to believe that no one Rohrwasser interacts with would have any idea what that means, and no one ever apprised him of it. That’s … that’s really hard to believe.

How did he not know himself?

Also hard to believe: Getting a massive tattoo on your arm with only a small, mistaken understanding of what that symbol means. I know not everyone puts in a ton of research into every tattoo he/she gets, but also, you need a pretty healthy willing suspension of disbelief to imagine he got this tattoo without understanding what it meant.

How did the Patriots not see this coming?

The Patriots saw film on this guy. They presumably saw photos. With the extensive research that teams do on their prospects (teams have famously dug into players’ family history to try and understand if they were “brought up right” or whatever), we’re saying that no one thought to ask about the tattoos on his arm, and what they meant? It’s possible, sure, but again, questions are adding up here.

How did an agent or advisor not see this coming?

Prospects are being explicitly told by the NFL now to scrub their social media history to avoid answering for things they might have said in the past. Did Rohrwasser’s agent, an advisor, anyone think to not only do that, but also maybe get out in front of the tattoo on his arm that’s linked to a far-right militia group?

Can the Patriots pretend this isn’t a thing?

This will be interesting to watch going forward. For a league that famously hates “distractions,” will the Patriots be willing to move forward and deal with the repeated questions about Rohrwasser’s politics? Will Boston media just forget about it? Is all this worth it for a kicker?

[lawrence-related id=914128,912828,912558]

[jwplayer OdhXXZgt-q2aasYxh]

Watch: Patriots’ draft pick says he will have controversial tattoo removed

Justin Rohrwasser told a Boston TV station Monday he is having his controversial “Three Percenters” tattoo removed.

New England Patriots fifth-round pick, Justin Rohrwasser out of Marshall, told a Boston TV station Monday will have the controversial “Three Percenters” tattoo removed from his left arm.

The kicker was chosen Saturday and afterward, social media took notice of the body art associated with a “right-wing” militia group.

Tim Warner/Getty Images

Rohrwasser, who began his college career at Rhode Island before transferring to Marshall, went on WBZ-TV. When questioned about the tattoo after being drafted, he said he would cover it up while playing. Now, he says he realizes that isn’t enough.

“As soon as I saw what it was linked to on Saturday, it was exactly that time I knew I had to get it totally taken off my body,” said the kicker, who got the tattoo five years ago when he was18. “I said cover it up [to reporters], but I want to get it removed from my body. It’s shameful that I had it on there ignorantly.”

The kicker, taken 159th overall, said the body art was not an issue when he kicked at the West Virginia school in college.

“No, never. The first time I found out what it was linked to was on Saturday. That’s why it was so surprising,” said Rohrwasser whose Twitter account quickly went to “These Tweets are protected” after the controversy percolated.

“We were celebrating and hugging [on Saturday]. So happy. I went on to Twitter. I saw that someone had taken a picture of me and put it with my tattoo and linking me to some horrific events — obviously Charlottesville and these horrible things.”

Rohrwasser added: “I’m sorry for all my [friends] and family that have to defend me. Putting them in that compromising position is one of the biggest regrets I’ll ever have. To them, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m going to learn from this. I’m going to take ownership of it. This is not who I am. No matter what, that’s not who I am. Hopefully, you will all find that out.”

 

Patriots’ draft choice says he’ll cover up controversial tattoo

Patriots’ draft pick Justin Rohrwasser says he will cover up a controversial tattoo.

The New England Patriots have been the buzz of the NFL offseason. Players exiting. Tom Brady leaving. Rob Gronkowski being traded. Who would have thought the selection of a kicker in the fifth round of the NFL Draft Saturday could generate another source of controversy.

It did.

The Patriots chose Justin Rohrwasser from Marshall with the 14th pick, 159th overall. Rohrwasser started his college career at Rhode Island before transferring. A tattoo on his left arm caught the eyes of social media when pictures of Rohrwasser began to surface.

Per Boston.com: 

Featured prominently on Rohrwasser’s arm is a tattoo that is known as a symbol for the Three Percenters, a group recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an “anti-government” organization.

Rohrwasser acknowledged the tattoo during a conference call with Patriots media members. Here’s what he said:

Question: One of your tattoos matches a group called the Three Percenters. What’s the story there?

Rohrwasser’s response: “I got that tattoo when I was a teenager and I have a lot of family in the military. I thought it stood for a military support symbol at the time. Obviously, it’s evolved into something that I do not want to represent. When I look back on it, I should have done way more research before I put any mark or symbol like that on my body, and it’s not something I ever want to represent. It will be covered.”

The Three Percenters group says it isn’t an anti-government militia but “we will defend ourselves when necessary.”

 Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Rohrwasser said Patriots special-teams coach Cameron Achord attended his pro day in early March. There is no way to know if Rohrwasser’s tattoo was visible to Achord or if the kicker was wearing long sleeves that day. Rohrwasser did not wear sleeves in photos of him kicking at Marshall. Additionally, tattoos can be removed. Wonder if Rohrwasser will consider taking that step?

 

Patriots kicker Justin Rohrwasser clarifies why he has controversial tattoo

Why does Justin Rohrwasser have a controversial “III” tattoo?

[jwplayer cQt1Dfhi-ThvAeFxT]

When the New England Patriots picked Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round and made him the top kicker in in the 2020 NFL Draft, the first obvious storyline was his impressive history of clutch kicks at Marshall.

Then something cropped up on social media: a tattoo on his forearm, which read “III.” The symbol is connected to the right-wing military group, the 3 Percenters. He was asked whether he is associated with the group, and he quickly clarified it was a misunderstanding and that he should have done more research before getting the tattoo.

“I thought it stood for a military support symbol at the time,” Rohrwasser said on a conference call on Saturday. “It evolved into something I do not want to represent. … It will be covered.”

If he got the tattoo as a teenager, that begs the question: Why has he waited to cover until now, when he’s a fifth-year senior in college? He did not clarify whether he would cover the tattoo with clothing or with another tattoo, thereby erasing it.

[vertical-gallery id=74890]

Patriots drafted kickerJustin Rohrwasser, and NFL fans roasted Bill Belichick

Fans had an interesting reaction to the Patriots selecting their first pick of Saturday afternoon.

[jwplayer cQt1Dfhi-ThvAeFxT]

With the 159th pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Patriots selected kicker Justin Rohrwasser from Marshall.  Rohrwasser went 35-of-36 on extra points last season for the Thundering Herd. One notable statistic here is that he made both field goals from the 50-plus range. In total, he had 89 points on the season.

With New England needing depth following the departure of Stephen Gostkowski this is an interesting pick.  Rohrwasser has a strong leg, and despite what his statistics may say, he does bring a certain level of consistency to the kicking game. Here are some of the best reactions to the Patriots newest draft pick.

Although it may be unconventional, the Patriots did need a kicker. It will be interesting to see how his career plays out.

[vertical-gallery id=74890]

Instant analysis of Patriots selecting Justin Rohrwasser with the No. 159 pick

Justin Rohrwasser is slated to be the Patriots’ starting kicker, with no competition on the roster.

The New England Patriots filled an empty slot on the team’s roster after drafting kicker Justin Rohrwasser with the No. 159 pick.

New England released Stephen Gostkowski after 14 seasons with the team and they released the kickers they used to replace him last season. Rohrwasser out of Marshall currently has no competition for the starting role and he’ll attempt to follow the path of Gostkowski and Adam Vinatieri — who collectively filled the Patriots’ roster since 1996.

Rohrwasser made 18 of 21 attempts last season with a long of 53 yards. He totaled 79 of 82 extra point attempts in two seasons at Marshall and made 33 of 42 field goals. What really stood out about Rohrwasser was his ability to make long-range kicks.

The Patriots are used to reliability and big-moment kickers and Bill Belichick is trusting Rohrwasser to step into that role. New England selected a specialist in the fifth round last year with punter Jake Bailey and he turned out to be one of the best rookies to walk into Gillette Stadium in recent years.

New England addressed the linebacker, tight end and now kicker positions so far in this draft — quarterback is the only major hole to fill.

[vertical-gallery id=83133]

Patriots take Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser in 5th round of 2020 NFL Draft

The likely starter at the position.

The New England Patriots drafted Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser at No. 159 in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He’s is the first kicker off the board in this year’s draft, and is slated to be the Patriots’ starter, with no competition currently on the roster.

In 2019, he had a long of 53 yards while hitting 18 of 21 on field goals and 35 of 36 on extra points. In 2018, he made 15 of 21 field goal attempts (with a long of 40) and made 44 of 46 extra point attempts.

The team parted ways with kicker Stephen Gostkowski, whose season ended early on injured reserve, this offseason. New England also decided not to re-sign kicker Mike Nugent, who served as Gostkowski’s replacement in 2019.

Rohrwasser is the sixth pick in the Patriots’ draft class, behind Lenior-Rhyne safety Kyle Duggan (pick no. 37), Michigan outside linebacker Josh Uche (no. 60) and Alabama outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings (87th overall) and UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi (no. 91) and Virginia Tech tight end Dalton Keene (101st overall).

[vertical-gallery id=61330]