Justin Rohrwasser

Justin Rohrwasser (born December 7, 1996) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).[1] He played college football at Marshall, and was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Justin Rohrwasser
No. 5 – New England Patriots
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1996-12-07) December 7, 1996
Clifton Park, New York
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Catholic Central
(Troy, New York)
College:Marshall
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 5 / Pick: 159
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Reserve/Future
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Rohrwasser played the first two years of his college career at the University of Rhode Island before transferring to Marshall University. At Rhode Island, he made 75% of his field goal attempts and 98% of his extra point attempts.[2] In 2019, in his redshirt senior season with the Herd, he made 85.7% of his kicks with a long of 53 yards.[3]

Professional career

The New England Patriots selected Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft with the 159th overall pick.[3] The move came a few weeks after they released kicker Stephen Gostkowski, whom they drafted in 2006.[4]

In the middle of training camp, the Patriots signed Nick Folk, who had played for the team in 2019, as competition to Rohrwasser. Rohrwasser was waived as part of the team's final cutdowns on September 5, 2020.[5] He was signed to the practice squad the following day.[6] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[7]

Controversy

Upon his selection, Rohrwasser was scrutinized for having a tattoo of the logo of the Three Percenters, a far-right paramilitary group. The Three Percenters have been condemned by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League as a white supremacist hate group.[8][9][10] Rohrwasser claimed to have no links to the organization and denounced it, pledging to cover up the tattoo. He further claimed that when he received the tattoo he thought the symbol represented military support.[11] Some commentators questioned whether his denial of previous links with the group was authentic.[12] On April 27, Rohrwasser pledged to have the tattoo removed completely and did so in December 2020.[13]

References
  1. Buchmasser, Bernd (April 25, 2020). "NFL draft results: Patriots pick K Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  2. Yang, Nicole (April 25, 2020). "The Patriots select Justin Rohrwasser with 159th overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft". Boston.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  3. Mason, Chris. "Patriots draft Justin Rohrwasser, kicker from Marshall, in fifth round of 2020 NFL Draft". MassLive. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  4. Schwab, Frank (April 25, 2020). "Patriots replace Stephen Gostkowski before Tom Brady, take a kicker in the fifth round". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. "Report: Patriots Releasing Kicker Justin Rohrwasser". CBS Boston. 2020-09-05. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  6. Dussault, Mike (September 6, 2020). "Analysis: Breaking down Patriots initial 2020 practice squad". New England Patriots. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  7. "Patriots Sign 10 Players to Future Contracts". Patriots.com. January 4, 2021.
  8. "Three Percenters — Anti-Defamation League".
  9. "Antigovernment Movement — The Southern Poverty Law Center".
  10. Michel, Casey (August 17, 2017). "How Militias Became the Private Police for White Supremacists". Politico. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  11. Previte, Samantha (April 24, 2020). "Patriots Kicker Justin Rohrwasser to Cover 'Three Percenter' Tattoo". New York Post. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. Barrow, Eric (April 25, 2020). "Patriots Draft Pick Justin Rohrwasser's Ignorance About 3 Percenters Isn't Believable". Deadspin. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. Reiss, Mike (April 28, 2020). "Patriots draftee Justin Rohrwasser to remove controversial tattoo". ESPN.
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