The New England Patriots didn't have had a first-round pick on Thursday night, but that didn't stop them from taking advantage of another opportunity to show support for their starting quarterback.
The Patriots were stripped of their first-round pick this year as part of their league-mandated punishment for using under-inflated footballs in the 2014 AFC Championship Game. Earlier this week, a federal appeals court reinstated Brady's four-game suspension for his involvement in "Deflategate".
You're not going to believe it, but New Englanders weren't wildly interested in a draft round in which their team was purposely excluded. ESPN.com reported that the Boston market delivered a 1.5 rating for ESPN's draft coverage, down from a 3.7 rating in 2015. Boston's number was dead last among 56 metered markets.
Thursday was a bummer of a day in general for New England sports fans. While the Patriots were in Rog timeout, the Celtics were bounced out of the NBA playoffs by the Atlanta Hawks and the Red Sox saw their four-game winning streak halted by the woeful Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.
