Justin Rohrwasser tattoos: Patriots kicker would help himself by further explaining his Three Percenters ink – MassLive.com

EDITORS NOTE: Justin Rohrwasser talked to WBZ-TV on Monday night. You can read his comments and watch that interview here.

The Justin Rohrwasser story isnt over.

The weekends attention on the Patriots fifth-round picks tattoos connected to the alt-right group the Three Percenters is just the beginning. Weekend social media is about to be overshadowed by talk radio and ESPNs debate shows. With no NBA Playoffs or Major League Baseball, its going to be all draft talk and a controversial kicker makes for compelling TV.

If Rohrwasser is being connected to something he truly doesnt want to represent, he should get out in front of this now and further explain where he stands. Otherwise, hes going to spend the rest of his career connected to the alt-right.

Rohrwasser, like all of the New England picks, did a conference call with the media Saturday and was asked one question about his ink, and he answered it. He sounded sincere and disappointed in himself when asked about the tattooed logo on his left arm:

Question: One of your tattoos matches a group called the Three Percenters. Whats the story there?

He answered: I got that tattoo when I was a teenager and I have a lot of family in the military. I thought it stood for a military support symbol at the time. Obviously, its evolved into something that I do not want to represent. When I look back on it, I should have done way more research before I put any mark or symbol like that on my body, and its not something I ever want to represent. It will be covered.

Thats a good start to an answer but not enough. It needs to be a larger conversation. With no follow-up questions, which arent easy to do in the structure of a conference call, it may seem like Rohrwasser got off easy.

For people who would like it to go away, he put it behind him. For others, theres nothing he could say that would make it OK.

But for people still forming their opinions, there are unanswered questions. Hed be smart to try to answer them.

The biggest is: If he was ashamed of the tattoo, why didnt he cover it up before now?

He got the tattoo as a college student at Rhode Island before he transferred to Marshall. There are pictures of him in college without it. Most people would vigorously conceal an image on their body they were embarrassed about, especially if theyre regularly on television. If he couldnt get it removed or covered by a new tattoo, he could have used long sleeves, a sweatband, a bandage or something as simple as athletic tape. Why didnt he? In photos, he could have turned his arm away from the camera. He didnt. Why not?

Worth noting, its not just one tattoo. That Three Percenters tattoo is inches away from a large tattoo of the words Liberty or Death.

The phrase Liberty or Death was the theme of an alt-right protest on Seattles City Hall in 2018. It was co-organized by two groups. One called Patriot Prayer and the other was the Washington State Three Percenters. On his other arm is a Dont Tread on Me tattoo another popular slogan among the alt-right.

If Rohrwasser really made a mistake by getting the Three Percenters tattoo, hed help himself by explaining the other two. What does he believe, and what doesnt he believe? If he has a good explanation, now would be a good time to get it out there if he cares how hes perceived.

Hes being accused of being racist. Thats hard to live down. The Three Percenters have inconsistent history on that front. Some of their leaders have denounced racist acts. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies them as anti-government which puts them on the same side as many White Nationalist groups. Their members have been anti-Islam and provided armed security during the Nazis march Charlottesville in 2017.

Having friends of another race doesnt mean somebody isnt a racist, but its noteworthy that several of his African-American teammates went on Twitter to defend him when accusations began flying.

Rohrwasser quickly made his own Twitter private, but his Instagram is still live. It includes an April 2, 2019, post where he appears to be giving a presentation in support of Jordan B. Peterson. With it he posted:

"One day Ill be lucky enough to do this for a living.

Peterson is a controversial Canadian academic who is criticized for being anti-feminist, anti-gender identity and anti-Islam. He called white privilege a Marxist lie, according to the Guardian.

Had Rohrwasser been drafted by a different team, this would still be a story, but it wouldnt come with the same prologue. Fair or not, every story that involves race in Boston becomes the next spot on the timeline of the citys unpleasant racial history, following Tom Yawkey, bussing riots, Bill Russell, Dee Brown, etc.

Add to that Tom Bradys red hat, Robert Krafts campaign contributions and Bill Belichicks letter and the perception of the Patriots is that theyre connected to President Donald Trump, who is the darling of the conservatisms extreme flank. Even though there are quite a few players in Foxborough who supported Colin Kaepernick and are anti-Trump, including Devin and Jason McCourty who are likely heirs to Bradys leadership position, the perception stands.

So New England drafts a guy who tattooed alt-right symbols to his body, it doesnt play like an isolated incident and only increases the attention this is going to get.

There are people in the NFL, or really any profession, who have every political belief across the spectrum. But if it doesnt come up in conversation, most people arent aware of them. Rohrwasser has no obligation to say anything else and given the Patriots history of reticence, he might not.

But the perception of him is starting to harden. If its not accurate, hed be smart to say something. Get on camera somewhere and explain who he actually is. Invite hard questions. Without the full story, peoples imaginations are going to fill in the blanks.

Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.