NEW YORK (Reuters) – New England Patriots’ NFL Draft selection Justin Rohrwasser said on Saturday he plans to cover up a tattoo resembling a right-wing militia group’s symbol.
While fifth-round draft selections rarely attract widespread attention, images of the tattoo on the kicker’s forearm were met with criticism from NFL fans and the Marshall University prospect said he regretted it.
“I got that tattoo when I was a teenager and I have a lot of family in the military and I thought it stood for a military support symbol at the time,” Rohrwasser told reporters after his selection.
“It just evolved into something 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.”
Rohrwasser has several other tattoos, including the words “Liberty or Death” and the American flag.
Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Ed Osmond