Gino Cappelletti: Hall of Fame Snub
John Hurley wrote a fascinating article for Talkoffametwo.com expressing why Gino Cappelletti belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hurley goes on and states that there is a bias against the players from the old rival AFL. Cappelletti is a co-owner of the record for most times he led the league in scoring (5) tied with Don Huston of the 1940s Green Bay Packers, and Patriots Stephen Gostkowski.
These are just a couple of facts Hurley uses in his argument. Cappelletti led the AFL in scoring in 1961 and 1963-66, and his 1,100 points are 164 more than second-place finisher and Raiders QB/PK, Hall-of-Famer George Blanda. Also of note: He had a higher field-goal percentage than Blanda, and he did it in home stadiums named Nickerson Field, Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium, and Harvard Stadium.
He’s one of only three players to play in every AFL game during its 10-year existence. The others? Jim Otto and Blanda, were both Hall-of-Famers.
Jack Jones Has Excellent Representation
Rosemary Scapicchio is a very successful, high-profile lawyer that specializes in taking on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Law Enforcement. Scapicchio’s press conference outside of East Boston Municipal Court is a prime example. Scapicchio lambasted the media and social media for labeling her client a thug and gang member. She used the word thug 14 times and gang 7 times. Trying to make her client look like the victim here, she went further to say that social media and the media almost got her client fired.
Scapicchio also praised the Patriots’ management for not jumping to a conclusion and releasing Jack Jones and letting the judicial process play out. The facts are that her client, a young black man is accused of trying to pass two loaded Glock pistols, and two high- capacity loaders through a security checkpoint. Scapicchio couldn’t help herself when she then added “this is the institutional racism we deal with in the courtroom”. She was trying to get sympathy for her client and set the stage for a potential plea deal if not an outright acquittal. I don’t think making that statement about the judicial system is going to sit well with the judge or District Attorney. Her final statement was that Jones had no intent on bringing any weapons to Logan Airport.
This from NESNs Ricky Doyle “Rosemary Scapicchio, the highly experienced criminal defense lawyer representing Jones, is well known for her role in the exoneration of Sean Ellis, who spent more than two decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing Boston police officer John Mulligan in 1993.
The fight to have Ellis’ conviction overturned was the subject of a true crime documentary series, “Trial 4.” released on Netflix in 2020.”
According to Michael Hurley of CBS Boston, in 2022 there were 6,521 incidents where guns were seized at US airport security. In 2021 it was 5, 972. Most of them resulted in $15,000 fines, depending upon which state the incident happened. Massachusetts has strict gun laws. However, those cases that resulted in fines, involved the seizing of unloaded guns.
Patriots’ position and Jack Jones’s future
The report is that the Patriots’ management was livid when they got the news. However, they released a rather neutral statement that they would be looking at all the facts and would have no further comment. Bob Kraft, after his own brush with the law and also having defended rapper Meek Mill on what was a minor violation of his parole, can’t do anything but support Jack Jones, otherwise, he would be a hypocrite. I suspect that Jones will be at the start of training camp on July 25th, and then come back from Green Bay on August 18th for his probable cause hearing. The Patriots will let the judicial process play out.
The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell can put Jones on his Exempt List at any time and prevent him from practicing or playing. I don’t think this is likely since precedent has already been set in the Frank Clark case where he got just a two-game suspension after pleading no contest to carrying concealed weapons in his car on two separate occasions.
There are mandatory sentences for carrying high-capacity loaders for which he has been charged. Those aren’t illegal in many states, but they are in Massachusetts. They carry a minimum sentence of 2 ½ years up to 10 years. I believe there is also a punishment of 5 years on the No Fly list. Not sure if that applies to the Patriots’ chartered jet or just applies to commercial airlines.
I will add that Jones has no history of violent crime or use of these weapons in any violent way. That may go far with the judge and DA. To think that any NFL player would jeopardize their future by trying to bring two loaded handguns on an airplane is preposterous. Was Jack Jones set up by someone close to him? So there is a chance that Rosemary Scapicchio could get a plea deal or acquittal.
I would like to know if Jones’s fingerprints are on the guns and if anyone else’s is on it. Also, are the guns registered in Jack Jones’s name in another state?
Patriots Announce Start of Training Camp
Players will report to Foxboro on July 25th and the team will conduct their dreaded conditioning test that afternoon. On Thursday, July 26th the Training Camp will be open to the public, as will July 27th, 28th, and either 29th or 30th which has not been determined yet. Check with Patriots.com for updates and times.
Joint Practices Set
Joint practices with Green Bay and Tennessee are set. The Green Bay Packers practices will be on August 16th and 17th, preceding the preseason game on August 19th. The next week they conduct joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, August 22nd and 23rd prior to their final preseason game on Friday, August 25th. The final cut-down date will be Tuesday, August 29th when all teams must trim their rosters from 90 to 53.
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Merrimack Valley native and lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. My earliest memories of the Patriots were attending as a child with my dad, the off-season practice at Phillips Academy. I was at the Patriots game at Harvard Stadium in 1970 where Bob “Harpo” Gladieux was called out of the stands by the stadium announcer over the PA to play in the game. Analyzing the draft since ESPN first started to televise it in 1980 and former writer for the Lowell Sun Newspaper.
