06-29-2013, 02:50 PM
(06-26-2013, 03:45 PM)Duchess Wrote:(06-26-2013, 03:35 PM)Jimbone Wrote: On the bright side, Hernandez jersey's are probably pretty cheap right now.The Pat's have already wiped all signs of him away. I read a tweet that said his jerseys & anything else related to him playing for the Patriots have been removed from their pro shops.
I don't watch much NFL and haven't followed other stories of players in trouble with the law (aside from Ray Lewis way back when). It's been interesting to watch how The Patriots organization has handled all of this.
They made no public statements until after Hernandez's arrest; at which time they expressed condolences to Lloyd's family and "released" Hernandez from the team. Over and done.
Not only have they now removed his jerseys from their pro shops, the team's spokesman announced today that anyone having purchased one of Hernandez's jerseys in the past can get a free exchange next weekend. Smart PR.
The Patriots ProShop will offer fans who purchased any No. 81 Hernandez jersey at the ProShop or online the opportunity to exchange it for a new Patriots jersey of comparable value.
"We know that children love wearing their Patriots jerseys, but may not understand why parents don't want them wearing their Hernandez jerseys anymore," said New England Patriots spokesperson Stacey James. "We hope this opportunity to exchange those jerseys at the Patriots ProShop for another player's jersey will be well received by parents."
The free jersey exchange will take place Saturday, July 6 and Sunday, July 7.
I know that they've had to contractually forfeit millions of dollars to Hernandez; price you pay for taking a risk. It's good to see the team ownership treating him as an asset that turned himself into a liability and got dumped. No excuses, no apologies, no overcompensating attempt at damage control. IMO.