http://www.projo.com/news/efitzpatrick/edward_fitzpatrick_15_12-15-09_QBGPT3B_v14.38ac6bd.html
Ed Fitzpatrick: Another setback in a troubling season for the Pats
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01:00 AM EST on Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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You know, if it was the San Diego Chicken, I wouldn’t have been a bit surprised.
But I have to admit I was stunned to hear that Pat Patriot, the mascot for the New England Patriots, was among those charged under the new law banning indoor prostitution in Rhode Island. Now I know the alleged “john” (Robert Sormanti, 47, of Warwick) is just one of the men that plays Pat Patriot. And to the best of my knowledge, he was not wearing his costume when he was busted at a Rhode Island hotel.
But I do expect better from those entrusted with that tricorn hat, enormous noggin and Continental Army uniform. While the new Patriots insignia known as “Flying Elvis” reeks of hip-wiggling debauchery, Pat Patriot appeared to be a fan of old-fashioned values, not the world’s oldest profession.
In fact, with his background as a revolutionary minuteman and his record of support for a strong defense, Pat seemed to have a promising future in politics. On Friday, when Rory Smith withdrew as the Republican candidate, I thought Pat might jump into the race to be Rhode Island’s next governor.
But on that same day, news broke of how the state police had posted an ad on craigslist and a female state police detective had posed as a prostitute, attracting eight men to hotels “in the Johnston area” through taped phone calls. The police said eight men showed up, seeking sexual contact for a fee.
Amid a frustrating season, the arrest seemed to answer the question: How bad can it get for the Patriots this year? And you could see the impact of the arrest when the team came out flat in the first half against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
But before getting too judgmental, let’s consider the stress mascots are under. Let’s consider how Pat Patriot must have felt after New England lost to the Colts by coughing up a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. And let’s consider the hazards of the job, recalling the PC/URI basketball game when Rhody Ram received bruised ribs after being tackled in the men’s room at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
Sadly, this isn’t the first fall from grace for a recognizable sports star. I’m speaking, of course, of Steely McBeam, the mascot of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In January 2008, one of the men hired to play Steely was charged with drunken driving after he was stopped on Pittsburgh’s South Side with a blood-alcohol level recorded as high as 0.173, more than twice the legal limit in Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette headline was: “Steely blitzed?”
Then there’s the man behind the Arizona Diamondbacks’ mascot, D. Baxter the Bobcat, who in September 2008 was “arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI” (with a blood-alcohol level of 0.155) after an officer spotted him driving about 95 mph in a Toyota Scion bearing the Diamondbacks logo, The Arizona Republic reported.
Of course, a hooker scandal doesn’t necessarily dim your long-term prospects. Just ask former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, now being mentioned as a potential state comptroller candidate, and Spitzer’s former call girl, Ashley Dupre, who now writes about sex and relationships in a weekly New York Post advice column.
But I still want to believe in sports mascots. Call me naive, but I want to believe this whole Pat Patriot mess was a misunderstanding. I want to believe he simply went too far in attempting to expand the fan base. And I want to believe that when kids ask where Wally the Green Monster is, the answer will not involve a hotel “in the Johnston area.”
efitzpat@projo.com
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