Patriots fans want everyone in New England to boycott the NFL Draft
One section of the country likely won't be tuning into the NFL Draft when it begins Thursday night. New England Patriots fans are calling on the region to boycott the draft after the Patriots were docked their first-round pick as part of their Deflategate punishment.
Patriots fanpages on Facebook were full of fans endorsing a draft boycott on Thursday night, and fans on Twitter joined in calling for a boycott of the draft as well.
#NFLDraft2016 #FreeBrady #BoycottNFLDraft Brady & @Patriots don't deserve this please boycott the draft! pic.twitter.com/VI1Sqjt741
— Stephanie McCusker (@McCuskerSteph) April 28, 2016
Normally I'd be excited it's #DraftDay but not this year. Boycotting 1st round due to @nflcommish taking @Patriots pick
— Nikki Nickerson (@thenikkster) April 28, 2016
Don't worry @Patriots fans just watch film of us winning over the years instead of #DraftDay
— Paul Spratt (@PaulSpratt) April 28, 2016
Some Patriots fans claimed they would not be interested in the draft even if the Patriots had not been docked any picks, as many said they stopped watching ever since the draft expanded to a multi-day event.
Others claimed they were more interested in watching Thursday's Game 6 of the NBA playoffs between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, while some said they would watch playoff hockey or the Red Sox instead.
But if Patriots fans are looking for help from other fanbases for their boycott, they could probably find a partner in the New Orleans Saints. That fanbase hasn't been happy with Goodell ever since Bountygate in 2012, and quarterback Drew Brees spoke out against NFL-led investigations in the aftermath of a court ruling Monday which reinstated Tom Brady's four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate.
