It Only Took Immense Media Pressure for Patriots Rookie Justin Rohrwasser to Remove Controversial Tattoo

The New England Patriots addressed the surprise release of star kicker Stephen Gostkowski in the 2020 NFL Draft when they used a fifth-round pick on Marshall product Justin Rohrwasser. Speaking strictly from a football standpoint, the fit is quite apparent.

However, Rohrwasser has taken the brunt of a tidal wave of slander since his selection for sporting a controversial tattoo on his right arm, which seemingly depicts a logo of "The Three Percenters," an American far-right white nationalist group.

Immediately following the Draft, the former Thundering Herd standout vowed to cover up the tattoo. Now, only after persistent pressure from the media, has Rohrwasser committed to removing the ink. But once again, all of this came from media pressure. Who knows what would've been the case if nobody said anything.

Credit to Rohrwasser for finally succumbing to being eviscerated, but it really should have never come to this. The fact that he initially opted to disguise it is ridiculous.

Removing it outright should've been his course of action as soon as questions started to be asked, and the Patriots deserve some criticism for their poor management of this situation. A buttoned-up head coach like Bill Belichick is normally on top of these sort of things.

Rohrwasser is a rookie so he deserves the benefit of the doubt here, but it's really impossible to refute the notion that the 23-year-old is off to a rough start as a pro.