DHL Dan CCLXXXII - In Hot Water

Shank weighs in on the recent legal troubles of two New England Patriots players:

Patriots’ push to the playoffs took an unexpected and unfortunate turn this past week, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while waiting for the Patriots’ playoff road map . . .

⋅ Nobody likes it when nasty, real-world issues get in the way of our sports enjoyment. Fans invest energy, emotions, and hard-earned dollars in local teams, hoping for magical seasons of diversion, enjoyment, and maybe even the reward of a championship parade. The Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots are here to take us away from the serious stuff that makes life hard and sometimes scary.

For four months and 16 regular-season games, the 2025 Patriots have been an unexpected gift, bringing joy and expectation back to Foxborough. The Patriots weren’t expected to do much in the wake of back-to-back four-win seasons, but under the direction of new coach Mike Vrabel and MVP candidate Drake Maye, they look like a team that can make a deep run in the NFL playoffs, with a possible shot at making it back to the (gulp) Super Bowl.

...

Unfortunately, these games are played by real human beings with real problems, and New England’s Feel Good Express went off the rails in the final two days of 2025, with back-to-back news reports citing criminal complaints against Patriot players. Star receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive lineman Christian Barmore are the alleged offenders, and charges include felony strangulation (Diggs) and domestic violence (Barmore).

The Patriots, who have a lot of history regarding their players and criminal charges, reacted to the bad news the way they generally do: They said they were already aware of the episodes, stressed that these are only “allegations,” and pledged not to jump to any conclusions. Vrabel went so far as to say that the news was “not disappointing at all.”

My prediction - Diggs pays off his accuser and Barmore, who had a run-in with Providence, RI police last year, gets cut after the season.