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Today In Patriots History May 11, 2015: NFL suspends Brady for four games

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Today in Patriots History
Goondell suspends Brady


May 11, 2015:
The hypocritical lying members of the Flat Earth Society at 345 Park Avenue conclude that Tom Brady is a witch, and suspend him for the first four games of the season. In addition, Roger Goodell and his chief gangster Troy Vincent rob the Patriots of a first and fourth round draft pick, plus a million dollars.


The NFL dropped the hammer in a big way on Monday, likely kicking off a declaration of war between the league and one of their all-time greats after handing down their penalty for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.​

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the league has decided to severely penalize Brady and the Patriots, hitting him with a four game suspension, but it doesn't stop there. They're also reportedly taking away New England's first round pick in 2016, and a fourth round selection in 2017, as well as hitting the team with a $1-million fine.​

As Schefter points out, the four game penalty would cause Brady to be a spectator until week five when the team heads to Indianapolis in a Sunday night battle against the Colts.​

One would have to believe this suspension won't fully stand and that Brady will likely be back sooner following an appeal with the NFLPA. Brady said during his appearance at Salem State last week he'd have a response, "hopefully soon." Now we'll have to see how he and agent Don Yee will handle this, and it should definitely be quite a battle considering the severity of the penalty given the lack of concrete evidence the league has against him.​



Former NFL quarterback and current Yahoo NFL analyst Shaun King isn't buying into the claim that the Patriots' Deflategate saga is a crime against humanity.​

Fans, experts and others have weighed in saying the league should come down hard on Tom Brady and his team after the findings of the Wells Report. King thinks otherwise. He believes the league is targeting the Patriots, and says every quarterback tinkers with the footballs.​

“Complete baloney,” King said on CBS Sports Radio’s Gio and Jones. “I told you guys from the beginning, this is one of the bigger witch hunts in the history of the NFL, in my opinion. Being a former quarterback, I’m telling you: We all get in a room with the balls, and we find the balls we like. If we don’t have balls we like, we create balls that we like, and those are the balls that we use on Sunday. Every quarterback does it.”​

Other quarterbacks have talked about getting the football the way they like it. The Packers' Aaron Rodgers says he likes to overinflate the ball more than the officials allow, and former Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson said he paid people to doctor the footballs.​

There have been reports Brady will face a suspension for his role in Deflategate, and King can't believe it.​

“It’s ridiculous," he said. "I know Roger Goodell has made some mistakes — some big ones. I think the league as a whole has mishandled some situations. But I hope we’re moving away from suspending people just to appease the public. If Brady gets suspended, I think that’s what the commissioner (would be) doing — and I think that’s a cop-out. I think that would make me look even less on Roger Goodell. We’ve really got to get out of this state. It’s more of a societal thing that’s infiltrated into sports where we do things just so people will be acceptive of what we did — even when we know what we did wasn’t right.”​



Initial reaction to the Tom Brady/Patriots deflated-footballs ruling by the NFL Monday: Stunning. Borderline astonishing.​

The ruling left a multitude of stories in its wake. The overriding one was the severity of the punishment. The NFL equated an apparent scheme (and I say apparent, because the Wells report did not produce proof of it) to slightly underinflate footballs to some of the worst discipline cases in league history. That seemed to enrage New England owner Robert Kraft, who waited almost four hours Monday night before commenting on the sanction: “Today’s punishment ... far exceeded any reasonable expectation. It was based completely on circumstantial rather than hard or conclusive evidence.”​

Officials used two gauges at halftime. On page 113 of the Wells report, after a description of the scientific Ideal Gas Law, Wells says that the Patriots footballs should have measured between 11.32 psi and 11.52 psi. The average of all 22 readings was 11.30 psi … two-one-hundredths lower what the Ideal Gas Law would have allowed for balls that started the day at the Patriots’ level of 12.5 psi. The Brady camp will surely argue that this case never should have been brought forth because of how close the Patriots’ footballs were to the minimum level.​



Feb 28, 2024:

Reflecting on his career on CBS Sports Radio's "Maggie and Perloff," King offered but one regret, namely his coverage of the New England Patriots' "Deflategate" scandal that surfaced after the 2014-15 AFC Championship Game victory over Indianapolis.​


When news of the phenomenon was first broken by ESPN, King reported that about a dozen of the footballs New England used were underinflated by two pounds. But the report filed by Manhattan attorney Ted Wells later determined there was only one that met that criteria, a mistake that haunts King to this day.​

“When I think about it, my heart sinks,” King told hosts Maggie Gray and Andrew Perloff. “I confirmed the ESPN story about the deflated footballs after Deflategate first hit the scene. It turns out I was wrong."​

In the aftermath, the Patriots franchise was fined $1 million and quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season.​

“That brought me a lot of shame,” King said of his error. “It doesn’t matter who I talked to. It doesn’t matter who told me anything. It’s my rear end on the line when I say something, when I confirm a story, and I was wrong ... that is something that will haunt me ... It bothers me, literally bothers me to this day.”​

All parties wound up recovering from the incident and then some: King originally tenured a letter of resignation that was rejected by SI, where he spent three more years before moving on to NBC Sports. Brady, on the other hand, returned from suspension to headline the fifth of six Super Bowl runs with the Patriots, one that ended with the biggest comeback in the game's history against the Atlanta Falcons.​



Aug 3, 2015:



Aug 20, 2015:



March 3, 2016:



Oct 26, 2017:
 
As would be expected, there was plenty of discussion on the forum on this topic. In fact, there were about 80 or so threads started just in one day. (You'll need to go back about 800 pages to see them all.)

Here are a few from ten years ago today, in chronological order.
























 
Today in Patriots History
The Pats First Quarterback



In memory of Edward "Butch" Songin, born on this date 101 years ago
Born May 11, 1924 in Walpole
Died May 26, 1976 at the age of 52 in Foxborough
Patriot quarterback, 1960-1961; uniform #11

Signed as a 36-year old free agent early in the inaugural 1960 season
Pats résumé: two season, 28 games, 7-10-1 as starting QB; 3,905 yards passing (13.7 ypc); 36 TD, 24 Int; two 4th quarter comebacks




Like many early Patriots, Butch Songin was a local guy. Born and raised in Walpole, he graduated from Walpole High School, Newman Prep School on Marlborough Street in Boston, and then four years at Boston College. In 1949 he won BC's most prestigious athletic honor, the Scanlan Award. Songin was the captain and a two-time All-American of BC's Hockey team, who were national champions in 1949. He also threw 30 touchdowns for the Eagles from '47-'49, but an injury in the college all star game resulted in a drop in his draft status to 247th overall by the Browns in the 1950 NFL draft.


Songin played minor league football for Erie in the last year of the American Association, but was unable to finish the season due to injury, and missed the championship game. During the fifties Songin played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in what would later become the CFL, as well as some minor league hockey.

Butch Songin, Boston Patriots QB Played in the first AFL Game and for the Eastern Hockey League Worcester Warriors


At age 36 Songin was the starting QB for the Boston Patriots in what was the first ever American Football League game. He appeared in all 28 games over the first two seasons in franchise history for the Pats, starting 18 games until Babe Parilli arrived and took over. During that time Butch threw 26 touchdown passes, and ran for two more. In both seasons Songin led the AFL with the lowest interception percentage.


On October 13, 1961 Songin led the Pats to a 4th quarter comeback against the defending champion Houston Oilers, capped by a touchdown pass to Gino Cappelletti. Two weeks later Songin rallied the Pats for another come from behind victory. This time it was an 18-17 battle over Hank Stram's Dallas Texans, with a 4th quarter touchdown pass and two point conversion, and then the final drive that set up a game-winning field goal by Cappelletti.


Songin was also coaching football and hockey at what was then a practically brand new Marian High School in Framingham - at the same time that he was playing for the Patriots. He simply loved sports, still playing minor league football for the Quincy Giants of the Atlantic Coast Football League at the age of 45 in 1969. Butch Songin passed away on May 26, 1976 at age of 52 in Foxborough, from cancer.



Our own PatFanKen knew Butch from his Atlantic Coast Football league days, if I recall correctly.




Edward Songin (1970) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame - Boston College Athletics


1960 Boston Patriots Team Photo​





Pro Football Archives -- Butch Songin Player Profile

Long list below:
Pro Football Archives -- Butch Songin Transactions

 
In a semi-just world, 20 years from now, the entire deflated footballs affair will be viewed as a farce and a black mark on the league.

I’m not too hopeful, though, that the younger generation of sports writers/personalities will want to challenge the narrative or admit that they and their predecessors were complicit in the witch-hunt against the Patriots.
 
That was without, ONE IOTA BIT OF DOUBT,...the BIGGEST STEAMING PILE OF ******** in the HISTORY OF NORTH AMERICAN ORGANIZED PROFESSIONAL SPORTS...

No goddamn doubt about it, none at all.....

**** them all for all of eternity....and then some....
 
And yet they still won the Super Bowl that season. That situation dragging out is one of many reason why the NFL has gotten worse.
 
And yet they still won the Super Bowl that season. That situation dragging out is one of many reason why the NFL has gotten worse.
Unfortunately, they didn’t, Brady went to court, a judge overturned the suspension but the Pats lost to the Broncos in the AFCCG.

It was the next year, when Brady served the four game suspension that the Pats went 15-1 with him, including the playoffs, made the greatest comeback in the history of the game in the Super Bowl and Goodell got boo’ed so loudly, not one of the millions of people watching could understand what he was saying.

It was the perfect revenge to end an incredible season.

Defamegate has become nothing but a footnote, and considering the Pats won 3 and Brady won 4 since it became a controversy, it’s not something that bothers me at all even though it made me incredibly mad back then. Spygate and the damage it did for the franchise is still a sore spot, mostly due to SB 42.
 
It was the next year, when Brady served the four game suspension that the Pats went 15-1 with him, including the playoffs, made the greatest comeback in the history of the game in the Super Bowl and Goodell got boo’ed so loudly, not one of the millions of people watching could understand what he was saying.
I was referring to the 2016 season when he actually served the suspension. I can see how my post doesn't line up with the OP.
 
Today in Patriots History
Cam Newton


Happy 36th birthday to Cam Newton
Born May 11, 1989 in Atlanta
Patriot quarterback, 2020; uniform #1
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on June 28, 2020
Pats résumé: 15 games (7-8); 2,657 yds passing(65.8%), 11.0 ypc; 8 TD, 10 Int; 592 yds rushing (4.3 ypc), 12 TD; 2 catches, 35 yds, 1 TD



Cameron Jerrell Newton had the unenviable task of replacing Tom Brady as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots. At the time I had high hopes, considering his résumé:
- 2010 Heisman Trophy Winner
- 2011 #1 overall draft pick
- 2011 Offensive Rookie of the Year
- 2015 Offensive Player of the Year
- 2015 MVP
- 3x Pro Bowler, 2015 First Team All Pro
- 182 passing touchdowns, 58 rushing touchdowns in first eight seasons (2011-18)

Perhaps even more importantly, the Patriots did not appear to have a coherent plan at the most important position on a football team, and we stood three months removed from the start of free agency and were two months beyond the draft. Were the Patriots really going to head into the season with the unproven Jarrett Stidham (entering his second season, with a total of four NFL passes thrown) and 35-year old journeyman Brian Hoyer as their only options at quarterback? To me, if Newton could pass his physical - he had missed nearly all of the previous season with a Lisfranc fracture - then he was a far better option.





As it turned out, the foot was okay but the arm - Newton also had surgery to his right shoulder in January of 2019 - was not. Although Newton completed 66% of his pass attempts with the Patriots in 2020, the number of short passes to open receivers made it clear that something was off. In 2020 the Pats finished 7-9, their first losing season in twenty years. A year later the Pats drafted Mac Jones when the Alabama quarterback was still available at #15, and that was the end for Cam Newton as a New England Patriot.

Newton currently ranks 13th in franchise history in passing yards, between Matt Cavanaugh and Marc Wilson. Oddly, for all his passes thrown into the dirt, Newton ranks third in Pats history in completion percentage (minimum 100 attempts) behind only Drake Maye and Mac Jones; next is Tom Brady, at 63.8%. (If that fact doesn't make it clear how rules have made statistical comparions between eras difficult if not impossible, I don't know what will.) Newton's 12 rushing touchdown plaves him in a tie with Sammy Morris for 26th most on the team's leaderboard - one more than Craig James, James White and Rex Burkhead had in their regular season careers as a Patriot.






Pro Football Archives -- Cam Newton Player Profile

Pro Football Archives -- Cam Newton Transactions

 
Today in Patriots History
Cam Newton


Happy 36th birthday to Cam Newton


Nov 21, 2008:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Florida Gators backup quarterback Cameron Newton was charged with stealing another student's laptop computer after being arrested Friday.​

Newton was suspended from the team, spokesman Steve McClain said, and was being held in the Alachua County jail. He has been charged with felony counts of burglary, larceny and obstructing justice.​

According to the University Police Department, Newton stole the laptop worth $1,700 and threw it out his dormitory window Friday when officers arrived to investigate the theft.​



Oct 21, 2010:
Had Tim Tebow not returned to Florida for his senior season, Cam Newton might be garnering Heisman Trophy attention and putting up amazing numbers in Gainesville instead of Auburn.​

Newton said earlier this week that he wanted to stay at Florida but felt he had to leave because he knew he wasn't going to play much - if at all - behind Tebow.​



Nov 11, 2010:
The star Auburn quarterback Cam Newton will likely face greater N.C.A.A. scrutiny after a series of allegations by Kenny Rogers, a recruiter with financial ties to an N.F.L. agent, that could affect Newton’s eligibility.​

Rogers said Thursday on ESPN Radio in Dallas that Cecil Newton Sr., Newton’s father, wanted “anywhere between $100,000 and $180,000” for his son to sign with Mississippi State, which would be a violation of N.C.A.A. rules. Rogers said he called a Mississippi State booster to attempt to broker the deal.​



Dec 12, 2010:
Newton, the third player from Auburn to win the Heisman, received 729 first-place votes and outpointed runner-up Andrew Luck of Stanford by 1,184 points.​

Blending a linebacker's body with a tailback's speed and quickness, the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder from Georgia has guided Auburn to a perfect season. His numbers are off the charts: an SEC-best 1,409 yards rushing with 21 touchdowns, and 2,589 yards passing and 28 TD passes. He's the first SEC player to run for at least 1,000 yards and pass for at least 2,000 in the same season.​



Feb 4, 2012:
Newton received 47 of 50 possible votes for rookie of the year from the media that regularly covers the NFL. Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton received the other three votes. He had already received other rookie of the year awards, such as the one from The Sporting News that was in a vote of players, coaches and team executives.​



Feb 11, 2016:
NFL.com: 2015 MVP: Cam Newton a unanimous pick among NFL Media analysts
Including the playoffs, Cam Newton has accounted for 50 total touchdowns (38 passing and 12 rushing). And to the devastating weapon that his mobility provides, he has added an ability to throw accurately from the pocket, including downfield.​

If you wondered how the Panthers would score when Kelvin Benjamin went down back in August, you weren't alone. Newton took mostly anonymous skill players and crafted the league's highest-scoring offense. This one isn't even close. There are players who had great years (like Arizona's Carson Palmer and Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown). There are those who thrived despite major hurdles (like New England's Tom Brady). But Cam Newton is the only player who enjoyed a great year while overcoming setbacks (like losing his best wide receiver) and leading his team to a 15-1 record.​



March 24, 2020:
Newton, who continues to rehab from foot surgery, had a physical in Atlanta on Monday that was coordinated by the Panthers and his agency, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.​

Newton passed the physical and is healthy, with both his shoulder and foot "checking out well," a source told Schefter. "He is hungrier than ever and eager for the next opportunity."​



March 20, 2020:



June 28, 2020:
The deal is reportedly packed with incentives for the former league MVP, who can make up to $7.5 million, according to the NFL Network. Newton was released by the Panthers in mid-March after his 2019 season was cut short by injury. He now joins Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer and two undrafted rookies in the team’s quarterbacks room and should be expected to compete for the starting job.​

Acquiring Newton presents a low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Pats, who were set to enter the 2020 season with Stidham, a second-year unknown, at the helm. Since being drafted first overall in 2011, Newton has gone 2-0 against the Patriots, throwing six touchdowns to just one interception. He averaged 9.1 yards per attempt.​

Prior to their last head-to-head meeting in 2017, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick praised Newton for his ability to uniquely threaten defenses as a passer and runner: “I think when you’re talking about mobile quarterbacks, guys that are tough to handle, tackle, can throw, run, make good decisions, can beat you — I would put Newton at the top of the list. … he would be Public Enemy No. 1.”​



June 29, 2020:



Sept 7, 2021:



March 14, 2024:






- NFL career stats and rankings
- 270 career regular season touchdowns (194 passing, 75 rushing, 1 receiving)
- 75 career rushing touchdowns is the most in NFL history by a QB, and ranks 26th most for any player.
- 32,382 career passing yards ranks 46th, between Kurt Warner and Troy Aikman
- 194 career passing touchdowns ranks 58th, tied with Ken Stabler
- 7.2 career yards per pass attempt ranks 66th

- Patriots franchise stats and rankings
- 12 rushing touchdowns is tied with Corey Dillon (twice) and Steve Grogan for 12th most in a single season
- 47th in Pats franchise history with 592 yards rushing, five yards behind RB Jon Vaughn
- 13th with 2,657 career yards passing
- Tied with Scott Zolak for 18th most career touchdown passes, with eight
- Three game-winning drives is tied for 10th most in a single season




Why didn't Cam Newton work out with Patriots -- Pro Football Talk



Cam Newton Full Season Highlights -- NFL 2020
6:10 Highlight Video produced by the NFL
 
Today in Patriots History
Andrew Walter


Happy 43rd birthday to Andrew Walter
Born May 11, 1982 in Phoenix; raised in Grand Junction, Colorado
Patriot quarterback, 2009 offseason; uniform #16
Signed as an unrestricted veteran free agent on August 3, 2009
Pats résumé: one preseason



The Patriots signed the former Raider after they released Matt Gutierrez. There was some speculation at the time that the move was made because Tom Brady would not be ready to start the season, that he was still recovering from the Bernard Pollard knee injury. Walter was released a month later during final roster cuts. Despite speculation that the Patriots would keep three quarterbacks due to TB12's untested knee, the Pats elected instead to go with only two quarterbacks on the roster - with undrafted rookie Brian Hoyer winning the backup role over Walter, Gutierrez and Kevin O'Connell.



Frustrated over not getting a chance to play (he was 2-7 as a starter, with 3 TD and 16 Int), Walter - who had been a third round draft pick just four years prior - retired from the NFL. He then returned to Arizona State University and received his MBA. Next he started his own business, became managing partner of a commercial business lending firm. Then in 2014 Walter set his sights on representing his district in Washington DC, running for Congress on a campaign focused on repealing Obamacare and reducing the national debt. He lost by nearly 19 points, 59.4% to 40.6%. Fortunately for his sake he has been a far more successful businessman than he was as either an NFL quarterback or a politician.




Pro Football Archives -- Andrew Walter Player Profile

Pro Football Archives -- Andrew Walter Transactions






Other pro football players with New England area connections that were born on May 11:

Ed King (5/11/25 - 9/18/06);
BC High and Boston College grad
Played G/DL/LB from 1948-50 for Buffalo in the AAFC, and Baltimore after the league merged with the NFL.


Tom Lomasney (5/11/06 -12/29/76);
Salem High School class of 1924
Lifelong resident of Salem was an end for the 1929 Staten Island Stapletons.


Bob Goodridge, 79 (5/11/46);
Born in Boston
WR was a 6th round pick by Minnesota, playing in 11 games for the Vikings in 1968.
At Vanderbilt in '67 Goodridge had 79 receptions for 1,114 yards.


Ben Roderick (5/11/66 - 11/30/74);
Boston College
Tailback for Buffalo and Canton in the twenties.


Darryl Pollard, 61 (5/11/64);
Born in Ellsworth, Maine
CB won two super bowl rings with the 49ers.


Al Dekdebrun (5/11/21 - 3/29/05)
QB for the Boston Yanks in the forties.
 
Today in Patriots History
Other May 11 Trivia



May 11, 1974:
Pats sign a 5th round draft pick, linebacker Charlie Battle of Grambling State

The 6'4, 237 lb Battle was the second of two 5th round picks for the Pats. Twelve picks earlier the Pats selected Georgia QB Andy Johnson. Battle was waived at the end of training camp. He quickly signed with the Detroit Wheels of the World Football League a few days later, and never played for the Pats - or in the NFL. Battle played in the short lived WFL for two seasons and signed with Baltimore in the 1976 offseason, but did not make the Colts roster.




May 11, 1981:
The Patriots sign 13 undrafted rookies. The most notable was a player who began his college career at Cerritos, an NAIA communty college in California, who is arguably the best punter in franchise history: Rich Camarillo.














May 11, 1987:
New England signs undrafted rookies Bob Bleier and Kirk Jones. Bleier was cut at the end of camp, then re-signed as a replacement player. The Pats went 2-1 in those games, with Bleier throwing one touchdown in a run-heavy simplified offense.




May 11, 1990:
TE Lin Dawson is re-signed to a two-year contract, for what would be his ninth and final season with the Patriots. He finished his career with 117 receptions and eight touchdowns.
QB Marc Wilson is also extended with a two-year deal, though he would retire the following spring. Wilson went 0-6 with 6 TD and 11 picks as a starter on that impotent 1990 1-15 Rod Rust team.




May 11, 1992:
James Orthwein buys a controlling interest in ownership of the New England Patriots from Victor Kiam

St. Louis businessman James Orthwein said Monday he has completed his reported $110 million purchase of the New England Patriots.​

Victor Kiam signed the initial agreement to sell his 51 percent interest in the franchise on March 20. NFL owners already approved the sale.​

Orthwein, a director and major shareholder of the Annheuser-Busch brewery, also leads a group trying to secure an NFL expansion team for St. Louis. Patriots minority owner Fran Murray is Orthwein's partner in the St. Louis effort.​

The new owner said his goal was to find a stable owner for the team.​

'I will make every effort to stabilize and strengthen the franchise, hopefully have a winning team and get some of our fans back,' Orthwein told radio station WBZ.​

Orthwein said he has no intention of moving the team and he had not decided how long he would remain owner.​

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue commended Kiam for his leadership of the Patriots, saying Kiam took over a faltering club and put it on a proper course.​

Tagliabue's comments were made despite the fact the league had to take control of the franchise last season because of Kiam's financial problems. Kiam was forced to sell his stake in the team to save his Remington Products Co.​

The league also fined the Patriots $50,000 two seasons ago because of a highly publicized locker-room incident in which a woman reporter claimed she was sexually harassed by players. Kiam's conduct in the episode came under heavy criticism.​

Under the deal, Kiam is reported to receive $23.5 million from Orthwein and $1.5 million from Murray. Orthwein also assumes $45 million in team debt, $40 million owed to Murray and $3 million owed to former owner Billy Sullivan.​

Kiam and Murray bought the team in 1988 for a reported $85 million. Kiam said he has lost about $20 million since the purchase.​




May 11, 1999:
The Patriots sign CB Corey Ivy, an undrafted rookie from Oklahoma.
Ivy was cut at the end of camp, and spent 2000 on the practice squad and with Frankfurt in the WLAF. After that he went on to have a nin-year NFL career, winning a super bowl ring with Tampa in 2001.




May 11, 2004:
Patriots sign IOL Bob Hallen, a six-year veteran free agent. Hallen had been a starting LG for the Falcons and Chargers after being drafted in the second round of the 1998 draft. He was however near the end of his career due to chronic back issues and was released just before the start of the 2004 season.




May 11, 2009:
The Patriots announced today, via their Twitter page, that they have signed rookie free agent WR Terrence Nunn.​

Nunn was the second all-time leading receiver at Nebraska.​

The Patriots revealed last week that they had three receivers in for tryouts, and Nunn was one of last week’s tryouts.​

Nunn is a longer shot to earn a roster spot.​




May 11, 2012:
The defensive back out of the University of Illinois will receive a $1.507 million signing bonus as part of the deal.​

The first two years of the deal, which are fully guaranteed, will pay him $390,000 and $581,722, respectively. Wilson will then make $773,444 and $965,166 over the final – not fully guaranteed-- two years of the deal.​




May 11, 2015:
Kyle Arrington is released after six seasons in New England

His final game as a Patriot was in Super Bowl 49, where he was benched and replaced by Malcolm Butler.

The cornerback exodus of 2015 continues.​

On Monday, the Patriots released Kyle Arrington. With the 28-year-old gone, the Pats are without all three of the cornerbacks who started Super Bowl XLIX.​

The thinning out of the Patriots secondary began in March when they lost their top two corners, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, in free agency. Last week, the team released Alfonzo Dennard, the Patriots’ No. 2 cornerback in 2012 and 2013. Arrington is the latest casualty.​

Arrington started 56 games over the past five seasons. Statistically, his best year game in 2011 when he finished with 88 tackles and tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions.​






May 11, 2015:
The Patriots are reportedly signing recently reinstated tight end Fred Davis, a talented player with a history of off-field issues.​

In 2013, Davis was ordered to pay $20,000 to Mikini R. Chaka after a 2011 incident at a nightclub in Washington, D.C. In the lawsuit, Chaka claimed Davis dumped juice on her and threw an empty pitcher at her.​

Davis was also charged with assault after an alleged altercation with an ex-girlfriend last June. Those charges were dropped in August.​

Davis missed all of the 2014 season while serving an indefinite suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was arrested and charged with DWI one day after his indefinite suspension was announced in February of 2014.​

The league reinstated Davis last week, and the Patriots added him to a tight end group that features Michael Hoomanawanui, Scott Chandler, Tim Wright and sixth round pick A.J. Derby behind the league’s premier player at the position, Rob Gronkowski.​

The 29-year-old Davis was a second round pick out of Southern California in 2008 and had his most productive season in 2011, recording 59 catches for 796 yards and three touchdowns. He’s played his entire career with the Washington Redskins to this point.​


Fred Davis didn't even last till the start of training camp; the Patriots parted ways with Davis on June 19.





May 11, 2018:
Pats release draft bust Tony Garcia, and sign undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson

The New England Patriots are releasing left tackle Antonio Garcia, the team's 2017 third-round pick, with a non-football-illness designation, a league source told ESPN's Field Yates on Friday.​

The move is mildly surprising considering what the team gave up to draft him. And the void at left tackle is one of the biggest questions facing the team, as starter Nate Solder signed with the New York Giants in free agency.​

The 6-foot-7, 302-pound Garcia was selected No. 85 overall last year after he was credited with 70 knockdown blocks and didn't allow a sack in more than 900 offensive snaps as a senior at Troy. With Solder entering the final year of his contract in 2017, the Patriots had traded a third-round pick (No. 96) and fourth-rounder (No. 124) to move up to select Garcia, with the hope of grooming him as a possible replacement in 2018.​

But after taking part in the first few practices of 2017 training camp, Garcia never took the field again, ultimately being placed on the non-football-illness list. The Boston Herald reported that Garcia had blood clots in his lungs.​




May 11, 2018:
The New England Patriots officially announced the signing of 15 players Friday, including six of their nine draft picks.​

Fifth-round pick LB Ja'Whaun Bentley, sixth-round picks LB Christian Sam and WR Braxton Berrios, and seventh-round picks QB Danny Etling, DB Keion Crossen and TE Ryan Izzo all inked their rookie deals with the team.​

The Patriots' first three draft picks -- offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, running back Sony Michel and cornerback Duke Dawson -- remain unsigned.​

Along with the drafted players, the Patriots signed nine undrafted free agents. Here's a list of each undrafted player that signed with the team.​

Darren Andrews, WR, UCLA​
John Atkins, DL, Georgia​
Trent Harris, DL, Miami​
Frank Herron, DL, Louisiana State​
J.C. Jackson, DB, Maryland​
Chris Lacy, WR, Oklahoma State​
A.J. Moore, DB, Mississippi​
Ralph Webb, RB, Vanderbilt​
Shane Willman, TE, Northern Illinois​




May 11, 2022:
Sokol has bounced around in the early part of his career. He’s appeared in two games, both for the Chargers in 2020. He was on the field for 15 offensive snaps and 20 special teams snaps.​

But he’s had a pair of stints with Los Angeles, Jacksonville, and Detroit since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019.​

The Patriots’ tight ends group is now Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, and Sokol.​


Matt Sokul appeared in six games for the Patriots in 2022-23, with 38 snaps on offense and 17 on special teams.


Other May 11, 2022 threads:



Remember this guy, MossLost before he became DoctaWhoDat?




May 11, 2023:
Ironic timing for this announcement








May 11, 2024:







Other threads from this date:








May 11, 2025:
 
Today in Patriots History
Lying Hypocrites


May 11, 2015:
Usage of the word "Integrity" by the Flat Earth Non-Science Believers Society at 345 Park Avenue is the Ultimate Hypocrisy


"The discipline is ridiculous and has no legitimate basis. In my opinion, this outcome was pre-determined; there was no fairness in the Wells investigation whatsoever. There is no evidence that Tom directed footballs be set at pressures below the allowable limits.​
In fact, the evidence shows Tom clearly emphasized that footballs be set at pressures within the rules. The Wells report presents significant evidence, however, that the N.F.L. lacks standards or protocols with respect to its handling of footballs prior to games; this is not the fault of Tom or the Patriots.”​

 
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