After the New England Patriots selected Marshall kicker Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, football fans on Twitter quickly zeroed in one of the kicker’s tattoos. Rohrwasser has a forearm tattoo that bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the Three Percenters, a far-right militia group that seeks to increase gun rights and mobilize against government interference in local affairs.
DISCOURSE! I DEMAND IT! pic.twitter.com/x2ONruBNWO
— Justis Mosqueda (Draft Day 46) (@JuMosq) April 25, 2020
In his introductory press conference after being selected by the Patriots, Rohrwasser quickly distanced himself from the militia group, saying that, when he got the tattoo, he believed it was a military symbol, according to ESPN:
I got that tattoo when I was a teenager and I have a lot of family in the military. I thought it stood for a military-support symbol at the time,” Rohrwasser said during an introductory conference call with reporters. Obviously, it’s evolved into something that I do not want to represent.
He also went on to say that he will be getting the tattoo covered up as quickly as possible:
When I look back on it, I should have done way more research before I put any mark or symbol like that on my body, and it’s not something I ever want to represent. It will be covered.
For their part, team officials have not released a statement about the controversy. When the Patriots selected Rohrwasser, they probably expected some blowback for taking a kicker so early in the draft, but the tattoo controversy has far eclipsed the draft order as the story of Rohrwasser’s short-lived NFL career to date.
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