With the holiday weekend now in the rear-view, here’s a look at this morning’s top stories.
Sad Memorial Day Anniversary – Every Memorial Day is tough for those who have lost loved ones for the sacrifices they’ve made for our country.
It’s a time to remember those who lost their lives fighting for our country and to appreciate those who make the sacrifices away from their families every day in order to defend it.
On top of all that, here in New England, there’s even something a little more beyond that which reminds us to appreciate every moment, with a connection when it comes to this weekend that many fans likely, sadly, remember.
This weekend marked the 11th year since the death of former Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, who passed away following a personal watercraft accident that saw him lose his life during Memorial Day weekend back in 2007.
Hill saved the life of a friend that weekend after pulling her to safety, but according to reports, from there he got separated and swept away by the current before eventually being pulled from the water 17 hours later.
An autopsy found no signs of drugs or alcohol, with indications seemingly pointing to a potential head injury playing a part in his death.
Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston reported on Sunday that while internally the team did things to remember him for years after his death, his memory lives on and the Patriots have even taken it a step further, with the team now providing players with a boating safety program to try and prevent a future tragedy.
Marsh Calls “B.S.” on His Former Team – Former Patriot Cassius Marsh apparently didn’t enjoy his time in New England, with the former defensive end not pulling any punches when speaking to the San Francisco media recently.
Marsh told the San Francisco Chronicle over the weekend that “there’s nothing fun” about being a Patriot, with the veteran admitting he “hated it” and it nearly brought him to the point of wanting to hang up his cleats because he was so miserable.
“They asked me to do a bunch of stuff that I had never done: covering running backs and receivers and basically almost never rushing the passer, which is what I did in playing defensive line,” Marsh told the newspaper. “They don’t have fun there. There’s nothing fun about it. There’s nothing happy about it. I didn’t enjoy any of my time there, you know what I’m saying? It made me for the first time in my life think about not playing football because I hated it that much.”
Marsh’s career ended following the team’s win in Mexico City, where things had taken a disappointing turn after he played just two defensive snaps against the Raiders. From there, Marsh said he confronted Belichick and two days later the Patriots waived him.
“I confronted (Belichick) about all the things that were going on,” Marsh said. “I won’t get into detail, but it was B.S. things they were doing. I just wasn’t a fan. And so I, basically, without asking to get cut, I kind of asked to get cut. … I had confidence that I would have an opportunity elsewhere and I would take advantage of it.”
Those comments obviously led to a firestorm on social media from fans in New England who fired back at Marsh, who didn’t like what he had to say. Marsh didn’t change his stance, releasing a video (that’s since been deleted) and said he’s “grateful to be away from there”.
“I just want to address all you Patriots fans who don’t like this new article,” he said via ProFootballTalk.com. “I’m sorry to hurt your feelings. Seems to be breaking your heart. But if you can’t handle the truth, stay off my page. Don’t read articles. That’s how I felt. That’s how I still feel and I’m grateful to be away from there, grateful to be where I’m at.”
Former Patriot Matt Chatham unloaded on Twitter, offering him some advice, as well as giving his thoughts on what really happened:
1) Play better
2) Wear a shirt during interviews, especially when you’re bombing on the field
3) Repeat steps 1 & 2 https://t.co/0LVvOZ60IJ— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) May 27, 2018
To your boys:
“I confronted Belichick”Truth serum:
“I went to Coach Belichick’s office, made eye contact a couple times almost, and then found myself in a van on the way to Logan.” https://t.co/gG88UGWVXe— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) May 27, 2018
The NFL is not fun when you don’t play well. That’s not a New England statement, that’s just how the league works. That said, if you’re looking for a place that pats you on the back when you don’t execute your role at a high level, it’s not Foxboro.
— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) May 28, 2018
Marsh played in just nine games during his time in New England last season, finishing with 19 tackles and one sack, as well as one forced fumble.
Kraft Helps Save Man Who Collapsed at Kevin Hart Show – Robert Kraft was relaxing on Saturday night watching comedian Kevin Hart perform at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, NJ and found himself in a tough situation.
According to PageSix, Kraft spotted a man who appeared to be having a seizure and “was frothing at the mouth”. Kraft reportedly helped the man up after he collapsed and summoned security, who took him out on a stretcher.
The Patriots owner was there taking in the show while sitting near a handful of celebrities, including “Grey’s Anatomy” star Jesse Williams, radio personality Angie Martinez and Philadelphia 76ers part-owner Michael Rubin.
The report said the man ended up being O.K. and was later spotted backstage in a dressing room, “fully recovered”, eating a chicken wing.
Belichick and Kraft Surprise Lacrosse Player – There was another nice story involving Kraft over the weekend, with this one having to do with Duke lacrosse player and Foxborough native, Sean Lowrie.
According to CBS Boston, Lowrie found himself back in New England over the weekend to take part in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship at Gillette Stadium and got a surprise when he hit the locker room.
The collegiate standout found a customized Patriots jersey with his name and number on the back, both signed by Kraft and Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick.
“That was awesome,” said Lowrie. “Walking into the locker room and seeing my own Patriots jersey with the number nine and my name on it and signed by Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick was incredible. It’s really cool to think about how much I idolize all of the Patriots and how cool it is to play here at Gillette Stadium. I have a couple of jerseys for the Patriots, but none are quite that special.”
Lowrie went on to say that while playing in a game of this magnitude was incredible, having the chance to do it at Gillette Stadium makes the experience a little sweeter.
“It means everything to be playing for a national championship,” he said. “It’s what I’ve dreamed about doing ever since I started playing lacrosse. I’m just lucky to be here playing my favorite sport, but obviously getting to do this in Foxborough is just incredible. Playing anywhere in the Final Four is going to be special, but playing in Foxborough makes it a little more special to me.”
Odds and Ends: There’s a charity softball game coming up in Haverill Massachusetts, with current and former Patriots set to take on the Haverill Police Department at Trinity Stadium. The players who will be on hand have not been announced yet, but previous players who have taken part have included Rob Gronkowski, Rob Ninkovich, Steve DeOssie, Fred Smerlas and Andre Tippett. The game will take place on June 10th at 1pm and tickets are just $10…There was a good piece posted yesterday at InsideThePylon.com, which does a great job breaking down X’s and O’s for anyone who follows their site. They had a nice write-up on Patriots draft pick Isaiah Wynn, who they believe is a perfect fit here in New England. Check it out if you haven’t already…Former Cleveland Brown and current ESPN Analyst Louis Riddick came to Belichick’s defense of Marsh’s comments on Saturday, firing back and defending his former coach. “Bill Belichick is not for everyone,” he Tweeted. “I have lived it. BUT, if winning means everything to you, there is nobody in professional football better equipped to help you achieve that goal. End of story.” Riddick played for Belichick for three seasons in Cleveland.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
