Tarnishing the Brand: The New England Patriots' Long History of Hypocrisy

Last week New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski found himself in the middle of a full-fledged scandal after porn star BiBi Jones posted a picture of the two of them on Twitter.  Jones was wearing a Gronkowski jersey, but considering it still had the tags on, it was not necessarily Gronkowski’s actual game day jersey.  Perhaps it was just a gift?

Gronkowski went to the University of Arizona and spent his bye week back in Arizona doing the kind of things that would make most men in America jealous: he spent this week apologizing for everything he did last week.

The Patriots are a notoriously secretive bunch, so the behind-the-scenes details weren’t fully disclosed but Gronkowski alluded to a sit-down with Pats owner Robert Kraft.  Gronkowski likely received a stern lecture about the do’s and dont’s of “being a Patriot” and what does and does not constitute tarnishing the brand.  

The whole controversy didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows professional football because the Patriots organization has a long history of admonishing players who engage in behavior that is perceived as tarnishing the sacred Patriots "brand."  Members of this team rarely speak out about anything, and on the rare occasion they do, an official apology is quickly delivered.  

Wes Welker’s “foot press conference” is a perfect example of this pattern.  In January 2011, Welker famously took a few (11) shots at Jets coach Rex Ryan’s foot fetish mini-scandal broken by Deadspin.com in December 2010.  Welker's performance was hilarious and added a little bit of fun to the usually painfully dull New England press conferences.  He was briefly benched in the playoff game against the Jets and issued an apology; an apology of such half-hearted nature it strongly suggests it wasn't his own idea.  

However, as it goes with the Patriots, an official apology is quickly delivered...or else.  

Remember the bizarre 2010 post-game press conference that Randy Moss used to air his contract grievances?  Moss was shipped out to the Vikings two weeks later.  

Obviously Patriots owner Robert Kraft has every right to expect his players to project whatever image he tells them to. It's his team after all and what constitutes tarnishing the brand is left to the sole discretion of club owners (as long as it doesn’t violate the CBA, of course).  The problem, as I see it, is that the public enforcement is both inconsistent and inequitable; it applies to some people sometimes, while others are above the rules entirely.  

How else would you explain head coach Bill Belichick's decade of questionable (at best) behavior, which didn't elicit so much as a wrist slap from the organization?  Belichick was fined by the NFL for his large-scale cheating operation, and both he and Bob Kraft issued apologies, but that was the extent of it.  Then there was the messy New Jersey divorce case in 2006 in which Belichick was named as the “other man.”  And of course the self-created controversy he created when he refused to shake former employee (and friend) Eric Mangini's hand after his losing to Mangini's Jets.  

But then again, he is the head coach.  Right or wrong, maybe the head coach is subject to a different set of standards.  So what's the problem with Gronkowski's photo with BiBi Jones?  

Is it because she sells sex for a living?

It can't be.  What exactly do you think Mrs. Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen sells, less explicitly?  Here's a hint: It's not underwear.  According to Forbe's magazine, Gisele is on pace to become the first model billionaire in history thanks in part to her own lingerie line.  It's impossible to argue that Gisele isn't a legitimate business woman at this point, but she built her brand by selling herself (in various states of undress) for over a decade.  And I wouldn't want to argue the point because I see nothing wrong with how she's made her living, but if the issue is selling sex, Gisele's body of work can’t be discounted.  

However, if the issue is selling sex, it’s problematic, because the Patriots have a cheerleading squad on the sidelines every Sunday.  If you've seen an NFL cheerleader, you know those beautiful, talented girls aren't selling Amway.  

Is it because the photo is of questionable taste?

It can't be.  When discussing the history of Patriots featured in photos of questionable taste, there are two photos that spring to mind.  The first is quarterback Tom Brady's 2005 photo shoot with GQ in which he's cradling a baby goat.  Don't get me wrong, baby goats are absolutely adorable, and I wish I was holding one right now, but the whole spread is just weird. 

However, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald reported that Gronkowski has "probably heard it from teammates.  He's probably been ribbed and tormented constantly, as quarterback Tom Brady suggested would be the case during his radio appearance," earlier in the week.  

Really?  So Gronkowski was allegedly tormented for spending his bye week with a beautiful blonde porn star?  I think someone in this scenario is confused about the definition of tormented.  Perhaps he was prodded for details, or harassed by guys who were upset about not being invited to Arizona, or physically exhausted from dishing out high-fives to envious teammates.  If that's what they meant by tormented, then yes, Gronkowski was probably tormented all week.

The other photo in question features none other than Ron Gronkowski, which may have gone under the radar because of the lockout.  In July, Gronkowski was desperate for the attention of 19-year-old bikini model Kate Upton and tweeted a photo of himself in his underwear holding a candle holder over his crotch to capture it.  

How is that not considerably worse than his most recent TwitPic?  He posted that one himself! 

Is it really just because someone of "questionable character" is being photographed in the jersey?

It can't be.  When Chad Ochocinco was signed by the Patriots, his fiancé Evelyn Lozada was photographed in a Patriots jersey and the photos were all over the internet.  If you've ever seen VH1's Basketball Wives you know those women have some of the most questionable character issues on television and Lozada might be the worst of the worst.  

In March 2011, it was revealed that Lozada, who was previously engaged to the Boston Celtics' Atoine Walker, had slept with retired basketball player Kenny Anderson, who was then married to Tami Roman, another member of the Basketball Wives cast.  A viscous cat-fight erupted between the two on the season finale.  Lozada tweeted about he incident:

"

"I don't live life with regrets! Only one person can judge me & that's God."

"

Anyone surprised to find out that the Ochocinco's fiance wasn't apologetic for an embarrassing media circus of her own creation?  Didn't think so…

So what is the issue?

I can't even pretend to know the answer to that; there are just too many things going on here.  

Your guess is as good as mine, but based on the decade or so, there are few things we know about the Patriots and what constitutes tarnishing their brand.  

Unforgivable:  Questioning your contract is absolutely unforgivable.  Richard Seymour, Deion Branch and Randy Moss were all run out of town on a rail after going public with contract issues.  

Forgivable, but requires a public apology: A large-scale cheating operation that puts the outcome of three Super Bowls in question (at least outside of Boston), light-hearted jabs during a press conference, and being photographed with a porn star.

Not even worth mentioning: Publicly embarrassing the organization by being named in a messy divorce, refusing to shake the hand of an opposing coach after a loss, tweeting a photo of yourself in your boxers with a candle holder over your crotch to a 19-year-old bikini model, a cast member of a morally reprehensible reality show and fiance of a media spectacle (but useless on the field) wide receiver posing in a Patriots jersey and a star quarterback being featured in a national magazine cradling a baby goat.  

I hope you're taking notes, everyone in the Patriots organization who isn't Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.