given everything else we know about the Krafts and this team, I doubt very much that they are "classless" to their fans at hotels or anywhere. They are, however, no doubt, very wary of people who would fall into one or more of these categories:
-Whackos with a thing for celebrities in general or the patriots in particular
-People looking for 15 minutes of fame or a quick settlement by claiming that a patriot "pushed" them or otherwise harmed or inconvenienced them
-Professional autograph collectors who disguise themselves as fans (and sometimes use kids as bait)
-Emotionally unstable fans who have far too much invested in their feelings for the patriots and who think they are "friends" with them and are owed ten minutes or more their time because they support them or buy a ticket to a game
-Drunken opposing fans who are otherwise sane but who have had a few and want to get "in the face" of someone they know can't push back
-Internet "media" who want to record something one of them says that is inappropriate or off color
-Etc., etc.
Maybe it comes from living in NYC, but that's what celebs here have to deal with all the time. A player or celebrity gets only a split second to make a decision about the person approaching him in the lobby or on the street; they're often going to make that in favor of a polite brushoff. They aren't all as wealthy as Brady and Bundchen who can afford to have a couple of beefy guys with them when they go out together.
so, yeah, unless they know an individual or group of individuals as "fans" or friends, they're going to keep most people at a distance and I guess that could come across as "classless."
Let me tell ya about my little experience. I was taking my son who was 12 at the time to a Patriot game. This is when they stayed on the West Coast for a few weeks. I found out they were staying at the Marriott about 30 miles away from SF so I book a room there.
We get to the hotel, my son in his Moss jersey and as soon as we walk into the hotel and check in a local security office asks to talk to me along. He said that he just wanted to warn me that if anyone approached a player either the local security or the team security would jump in and escort the guest away. That just the night before a young fan approached Randy Moss and Moss told him to go away, the boy got upset and the parents were pretty mad that a player would act like that. He said the players won't look at or talk to anyone, not even to the local security people. He said he has seen a lot of teams there and never has a team been as classless as this. He said I could take my son two blocks away to the 49'ers practice and they would talk and sign autographs all day long. The security officer said he wanted to warn me so my son wouldn't have the same expereince as the other kid the day before.
No let me say, this hotel was not busy with fans, it was mostly players, staff and their families so it wasn't like they were being hounded for autographs. I would say the time we stayed there that there were probably a half dozen fans at the very most.
I explain the situation to my son in a less harsh way then the local security guy did and so my son said he wanted to just sit in the lobby and watch the players pass by. The chairs we set in were right by the elevators to the tower the players were staying in so most everyone walked past us. So here we are, one adult sitting there with his 12 year old son who had his Moss jersey on and his Patriots ball cap on just watching as players walk by going to and from meetings, to and from meals and not one hello from a player to a young fan. Not a look, nothing. Seriously, it was sickening to see.
I might understand that if they talk to one fan they would need to talk to all but there were no other fans at the hotel. I have seen a lot of pro clubs, pro players, movie stars, etc.. and never have I seen the ignorance, the disrespect displayed like this. Really put a bad taste in my mouth, lucky that my son was too young to really see the selfishness the team showed that couple of days. No wonder so many people dislike the Patriots. They do come across at times as a selfish snobby team.
