It was inevitable that Spikes’ return to the Patriots would end badly
COMMENTARY
It’s somewhat impossible to suggest the New England Patriots should have known what they were getting into by re-signing linebacker Brandon Spikes last month, but frankly, what did they expect?
What exactly was the compelling reason to bring the boisterous Spikes back into the fold this offseason, a mere month, mind you, after Spikes’ former University of Florida and Patriots teammate was sentenced to life in prison? Not that Hernandez’ fate speaks to Spikes’ character, but the guy was indeed on the witness list for the Hernandez prosecution, and ultimately, had he made the team this summer, would serve only as a gentle reminder of the hell the franchise dragged itself into by latching onto Hernandez in the first place.
Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft won’t have to worry about that any longer.
The Patriots released Spikes Monday morning, in the wake of a weekend incident on Interstate 495 in Foxborough. Massachusetts police said they found a 2011 Mercedes registered to Spikes abandoned on the side of the road, near the site of a reported hit-and-run that sent three to the hospital. There was no direct relation between the two, but enough for the Patriots to cut ties with the linebacker once again.
OnStar, a subscription navigation and security system, reported early Sunday morning that the driver of said Mercedes reported hitting a deer. But police report that there was no deer at the scene. Maybe Spikes rode the creature off into the night like Daenerys on Drogon’s back since there was no sign of the 6-foot-2 Spikes at the scene either.
Poof.
This isn’t going to end well for Spikes, who may have found himself the first Patriots player booed on his home turf since Chad Ochocinco allegedly played here. A state trooper told Boston.com Sunday night that a charge is likely if police can determine who was driving. “In 21 years as a road trooper, experience tells me that there will at least be a charge of leaving the scene of a property-damage accident,’’ State Trooper Matthew Guarino said.
Spikes’ return to the Patriots was odd from the beginning, one year after he compared the Krafts to slave-owners before high-tailing it to Buffalo, where he was convinced the Bills would find a pair of wins against his former team. It ended up being one, late-season, meaningless game, but that was long after Spikes had dished out all the trash-talking he could muster, blocking anyone on Twitter who decided to retort.
There was also the sex tape that made the rounds, his four-game suspension at the end of his rookie season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, and the late arrival on a snow day late in the 2013 season that resulted in the team placing him on season-ending injured reserve.
Even this year, only a month before the team welcomed him back, Spikes displayed his stupidity by offering his confusion about the justice system the day his old pal was sent away for life in connection with the murder of Odin Lloyd.
What exactly did the Patriots think they were getting in bringing Spikes back? Besides, of course, the almighty deal ($800,000 with incentives that could have earned him as much as $2 million)?
“We can clearly see that me and the Hoodie kissed and made up,’’ Spikes said last month. ““I’m here, that’s in the past, and I’m moving on. That’s dead.
“I think we’re both happy that I’m here, and we were able to put things aside, let bygones be bygones. We’re all moving forward. The 2015 season is right around the corner, and we’re just trying each and every day to get better. Like I said, all of that was in the past was in the past.’’
Whoops.
Jeez. For a team that still insists that it has a handle on the character of its team, Spikes seems to have been an unnecessary bump in the road. Henandez’s street clothes didn’t even have a chance to get cold and here comes Spikes, never called to testify in the murder trial of his former teammate, but interestingly enough on the list, back in his familiar New England digs. Why? Who’s the next Urban Meyer product the Patriots draft and ultimately release?
Did Spikes sell Belichick on some sort of divine intervention, or was Belichick too busy preparing his part in his team’s Wells Report in Context to glance at the transaction sheet brought into his office? The Spikes reunion was always an odd development for the Patriots, even with the need for a defense with Jerod Mayo and Dont’a Hightower coming off of significant injuries. If Spikes didn’t prove he was a ticking time bomb in his final moments here the first time, the team should have considered it lucky if he could have stayed out of controversy until training camp.
Well, make that mini-camp.
“Trust me: I know the Patriot Way,’’ Spikes said last month. “And I’m all for it. It works. Clearly, it works.’’
Right. Clearly.
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