RD5 #13/#159: K Justin Rohrwasser, Marshall

Rough Carrigan

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You don't see why people would be concerned about the Patriots employing a guy who is a member of a right-wing militia that has been tied to neo-Nazis and attempted acts of domestic terror?
You're the guy who just dispelled the worst speculation about him, and the guy was the kicker for Marshall but somehow it's a huge concern. You can play this game with anyone. Did someone support any cause that antifa supported at any point? Well then that means . . blah blah blah. And the "tie to neo-nazis" is an accusation used by splc to tar anyone to the right of Bernie Sanders as somehow being supporters of the freaking Bund or something. Let's take a deep breath.

Some people don't think the same as you or the same as me. 18-22 year olds look around and try modes of thought on for size and discard them.
 

Ed Hillel

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Then wait for the thread to be moved. As of this moment, it’s not.
Discussion began in the other thread and a moderator told us to come to this thread to discuss it.

Now you are saying don’t discuss here, so cool, makes sense, but that’s why it started this way is all.
 

gryoung

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I need some more information before sending him to the chair.

If the team conducted due diligence on the guy, let’s hear their summary and conclusion.

Right-wing gun nut. OK. There are likely lots of them already in the league and, perhaps, even on this team.

Racist? That’s an issue. Although he’s already survived several locker rooms which leads me to doubt that.

If the team did not conduct their due diligence, then that’s a larger issue than just this schmo.

Suggest we don’t throw the switch just yet. Maybe keep hands on it, but wait for the call from the governor.
 

jsinger121

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After Aaron Hernandez it’s hard to believe this team not doing its due diligence on a potential draft pick.
 

mauf

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I only moved this discussion over here so I could enjoy my draft-nerd experience. And because I thought that was the right thing for the forum.

I’m personally going to enjoy the rest of the draft re-engage on Rohrwasser tomorrow, but this discussion should go on. I don’t care if it’s here or behind a member wall.
 

Cellar-Door

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And there we go. That's a reasonable explanation, whether true or he just was young and dumb. That's reasonable and I think you can feel comfortable at least giving him a chance based on that
 

Shelterdog

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And there we go. That's a reasonable explanation, whether true or he just was young and dumb. That's reasonable and I think you can feel comfortable at least giving him a chance based on that
Also suggests that the Pats one hundred percent knew about it and (right or wrong) are comfortable with him-that’s not an answer he came up with on the fly.
 

mikeford

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View: https://twitter.com/dougkyed/status/1254141319586426882?s=21


Justin Rohrwasser on what appears to be a 3 percenter tattoo: "I got that tattoo when I was a teenage." Says he thought it was for military support. Says it's not something he represents and plans to cover it.
So the followup question then is: when did you learn what it actually represented and why haven't you got it covered already?

Also: what does "covered" mean to you in this context. Tattooed over? Covered with an armband or long sleeve undershirt on the field?

ehhhhh
 

Ale Xander

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I don't think there's one near Foxboro, but the Finery has good reviews on Yelp with locations in Cranston and Back Bay for whenever they open back up . (Tattoo removal)
 

Seels

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eh...have a hard time believing someone gets that tattoo randomly without knowing what it means.
 

nolasoxfan

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There's no proof he is a neo-nazi. While he has some explaining to do, it's not fair to label someone like that when there's no evidence beyond a tattoo. Speculate if you want, but cut the bullshit with the definitive statements. SOSH should be better than this.
A lot of explaining to do, no? I’m guessing Boston sports writers will be all over this in short order.
 
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TSC

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Between here and everywhere.
So the followup question then is: when did you learn what it actually represented and why haven't you got it covered already?

Also: what does "covered" mean to you in this context. Tattooed over? Covered with an armband or long sleeve undershirt on the field?

ehhhhh
Dude you routinely used to call Daisuke Matsuzaka a “jap” on a another board, so you don’t exactly get to claim the moral high ground here.
 

cornwalls@6

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I guess he should be given the benefit of the doubt on his explanation(no matter how shaky it is), and should be judged on how he conducts himself going forward. The problem is, any half decent Internet sleuths will now be doing a deep dive into his entire social media history, and if it reveals anything beyond right wing/gun nut/conspiracy stuff, this has the potential to blow up in their face badly. Very questionable as to whether a bottom of the draft kicker is worth that potential aggravation.
 

DGreenwood

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As a pretty heavily tattooed person, here are some thoughts:
  • It is very common for young people to get tattoos without a lot of forethought and without understanding exactly what they are getting
  • Tattoo removal is expensive and time consuming. I know people who have had 10-15 sessions and you can barely tell a difference. Getting cheap tattoos is easy, removing them cheaply is not.
  • "Cover" means to get another tattoo on top of the current one to hide the original.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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I guess he should be given the benefit of the doubt on his explanation(no matter how shaky it is), and should be judged on how he conducts himself going forward. The problem is, any half decent Internet sleuths will now be doing a deep dive into his entire social media history, and if it reveals anything beyond right wing/gun nut/conspiracy stuff, this has the potential to blow up in their face badly. Very questionable as to whether a bottom of the draft kicker is worth that potential aggravation.
What aggravation?

"You'll have to talk to Justin about that. I'm here to talk about football."

Rinse, repeat.
 

mikeford

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Dude you routinely used to call Daisuke Matsuzaka a “jap” on a another board, so you don’t exactly get to claim the moral high ground here.
And you stole a bunch of money from people for a book you never put out so neither do you.
 

DJnVa

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... and recommended a Jordan Peterson book on Twitter a few weeks ago.
He can 100% not really know what that tat meant when he was a teen and still recommend a Peterson book. No one is claiming he's not on the conservative side of things.
 

Ed Hillel

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Fuck off. There's no proof he is a neo-nazi. While he has some explaining to do, it's not fair to label someone like that when there's no evidence beyond a tattoo. Speculate if you want, but cut the bullshit with the definitive statements. SOSH should be better than this.
I actually meant to say probably, but the Peterson book isn’t helping his cause.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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... and recommended a Jordan Peterson book on Twitter a few weeks ago.
Or...

He grew up as a right wing/libertarian. Thought a 3% tattoo was cool when he was young. 3% have since amped up their rhetoric/he did more research after the tattoo ("turned into something I would never want to represent"). Remains a Libertarian, but is distancing himself from the nutjobs of the 3%.

So...we still have to hate him because he didnt want to vote Bernie? You tell me how I should feel.
 

nothumb

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Eh, that seems a little simplistic. There are larger potential business and PR concerns that could impact the Krafts brand. It could/would go beyond just Bill dealing with questions at a presser.
The fact is, it almost certainly won't, but it probably should. Most people in the general public and sports media are very eager to look the other way in this type of situation. It will get glossed over quickly.
 

lostjumper

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A lot of explaining to do, no? I’m guessing Boston sports writers will be all over this in short order.
Agreed, he has some explaining to do, and he and the patriots will be asked about. But let's not label someone a neo-nazi before the draft pick has even been fully processed.
 

Ed Hillel

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So...we still have to hate him because he didnt want to vote Bernie? You tell me how I should feel.
Who people vote for can be left out of this. The question should remain as to whether he associates or espouses views with/of neo nazis. If opposition to that is considered “political,” we are in a bad place.

It is...possible this was a childhood teen thing and stopped there when the group morphed, but we’ll certainly be finding out soon as his social media posts emerge the next day or so.
Agreed, he has some explaining to do, and he and the patriots will be asked about. But let's not label someone a neo-nazi before the draft pick has even been fully processed.
Well, I mean it’s not just because. It’s because he has a tattoo of the symbol of one such group on his arm that isn’t really associated with anything else.

He has given his reason. We’ll see if it withstands scrutiny.
 

IdiotKicker

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So the followup question then is: when did you learn what it actually represented and why haven't you got it covered already?

Also: what does "covered" mean to you in this context. Tattooed over? Covered with an armband or long sleeve undershirt on the field?

ehhhhh
To me, “covered” would mean another tattoo on top that hides it. If that’s not the case, then it’s clear he still wants to show it to some people, just not everyone.

I think there are multiple things at play here:
  1. Either way, clearly this guy is not some deep thinker.
  2. People do all kinds of dumb crap with tattoos. I have a good friend whose cousin got an Italian horn tattooed on his right arm that said “Famiglia Sempre Favorini”. He thought it meant ”family always forever”. Turns out Favorini is some random dude’s last name that he ended up with on his arm because he didn’t research what it meant in Italian and didn’t know it was just someone’s name. Still has it, almost 5 years later, because as mentioned upthread, it’s expensive to remove and difficult to cover something so complex. So dumb tattoos that are not understood by the person getting them happen.
  3. He clearly has a pro-military, libertarian, individualistic streak to him. None of those things are inherently bad, but they can clearly lead to some dark and ugly places.
So yeah, as I said in my initial post, he has some explaining to do. He’s done the first step of that, now he has to follow through. I think these are things that are concerning if not addressed, and if he takes the steps to actually address them, then while I might not agree with every view he has, I’ll see where things go given that 2 hours ago, none of us knew this person existed. If it turns out he was at the Charlottesville rally or was some dude yelling at counter-protesting nurses last week, then I think we can move more definitively to say that he’s someone who I wouldn’t want on my team. For now, I want to see how this plays out and if he actually gets the 3% tattoo covered with other ink.
 

cornwalls@6

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The fact is, it almost certainly won't, but it probably should. Most people in the general public and sports media are very eager to look the other way in this type of situation. It will get glossed over quickly.
Disagree.They've felt the need to cut bait with people in the past, due to off field conduct. Also, people under 50 or so have a lot more concerns and sensitivity to these things, rightly and thankfully. If he was revealed to be closer to a white supremacist(and have I no idea whether that's the case) they would not just be able to sweep this under the rug.
 

Kenny F'ing Powers

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Who people vote for can be left out of this. The question should remain as to whether he associates or espouses views with/of neo nazis. If opposition to that is considered “political,” we are in a bad place.

It is...possible this was a childhood teen thing and stopped there when the group morphed, but we’ll certainly be finding out soon as his social media posts emerge the next day or so.
Then let's find out. If hes a racist asshole, obviously hes gotta go.

But people have decided to jump on him as a nazi already. I think he deserves a chance to explain himself (he did), and I think people shouldnt be allowed to confuse the issue by blending Republican/Libertarian views with neo-nazi views. Especially until we learn more.
 

ngruz25

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I have a hard time believing that a black guy with gang tattoos would get the same latitude that we're allowing our newest coronavirus conspiracy theorist kicker.
 

nothumb

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Who people vote for can be left out of this. The question should remain as to whether he associates or espouses views with/of neo nazis. If opposition to that is considered “political,” we are in a bad place.

It is...possible this was a childhood teen thing and stopped there when the group morphed, but we’ll certainly be finding out soon as his social media posts emerge the next day or so.
As an aging punk, this reminds me of all the guys who have Skrewdriver t-shirts but only liked them "before they were racist."

The III% movement was never anything but what it is. This guy is what, 22, 23? "Back when I was a teenager" is doing a lot of work here for something that happened in 2016 (when the 3% guys were sending reinforcements to the Bundy camp in Oregon).
 

cornwalls@6

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Well, thanks for painting everyone in an age group with the same brush. That's real swell of you.
Yeah, thats not really at all what I did. I think most here are perceptive enough to understand points being made in the abstract, and that there are of course always exceptions. But I get that drive by snark is your thing. So have fun.
 

Ed Hillel

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Then wait for the thread to be moved. As of this moment, it’s not.
Nip, this is my bad. I thought you were saying we couldn’t discuss the tattoos at all. I see that is not the case now, so I apologize.
Nip said no politics. Everyone else got the message. You need to as well.
Apologies to you as well, Mauf. I did not mean to sound as though I was throwing you under the bus, so I hope it did not come off that way.
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Then let's find out. If hes a racist asshole, obviously hes gotta go.

But people have decided to jump on him as a nazi already. I think he deserves a chance to explain himself (he did), and I think people shouldnt be allowed to confuse the issue by blending Republican/Libertarian views with neo-nazi views. Especially until we learn more.
Kenny's F'ing Right on this one. Until we learn more, perhaps this thread will be better served by focusing on the football side of the selection.