So it would appear that once again, the cold, heartless, unfeeling Patriots are doing what they do best. Defensive Tackle Kyle Love, a 2010 undrafted free agent who had managed to work his way into the starting lineup, has just been released by the team after it was revealed that he has Type 2 Diabetes. Dispicable. What a classless bunch of jerks. And as someone who is approximately 25 Jumbo-Sized 7-11 Slurpees away from becoming a diabetes risk myself, this latest travesty against all of humankind has hit me especially close to home. I just can't sit idly by and let this happen without voicing what is a highly informed and completely unbiased opinion.
Since I read sports articles, watch ESPN and NFL Network, and follow some analysts on Twitter, I'm more than qualified to say with absolute certainty what happened here. You don't have to be a genius or have access to the inner workings of the New England front office to see how it all went down. It couldn't be more obvious: the Patriots simply heard that Kyle Love had Type 2 Diabetes and then they promptly kicked him off the team on the spot, slamming the massive, heavy, wrought-iron door to Gillette Stadium as he lay there on the ground with his few meager possessions scattered haphazardly on the concrete. Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft then proceeded to drink Red Bull-infused Kool Aid out of Love's helmet as they laughed and drew straws for who got to call the insurance company and cancel any and all of his and his family's medical benefits. That's just what the Patriots do, and there's no need to look any farther than that.
Never mind the fact that a man who plays a position that requires him to maintain an unhealthy weight level as it is was diagnosed with a disease that non only makes maintaining a certain weight a problem, but makes being overweight extremely dangerous. Never mind the fact that Love unexpectedly lost a significant amount of weight, size, and strength because of his illness. Never mind the fact that the Patriots have kept players on the roster in the past (Matt Light, Tedy Bruschi, Donte Stallworth) who have had medical issues in order to give them time to fully heal, making each decision on a case-by-case basis. Never mind the fact that the Patriots just picked up Donald Jones, who was recently released by Buffalo in part because of concern over his kidney health. And never mind that the NFL is a business and it is the responsibility of the front office to field the players that will give the Patriots the best chance to win, that Kyle Love was no guarantee to make the final roster anyway, and that just maybe letting him go now was a chance for him to focus his efforts on getting healthy and then return to football once he has gotten everything under control with the best chance of making an impact on another team (which could even signify a possible return to the Patriots). None of that matters, to be honest. This is all about the Patriots simply discarding someone who is no longer of use to them. No thought, no class, and no regrets.
Maybe when the Patriots have done a little more to remain competitive every year, I'll start giving them the benefit of the doubt. But when the team has only won their division a measly 10 out of the last 12 years and the last few seasons have ended in a AFC Championship loss and a Super Bowl loss, I just can't allow that level of embarrassing failure to gloss over a move that is going to come back to bite them down the road. You can't just up and cut a rotational defensive lineman who was towards the bottom of the depth chart in lieu of some of New England's offseason signings without expecting some backlash, diabetes or no, and so the Patriots are just going to have to deal with this. I hate to see it, because the media usually chooses to paint every move New England makes in the best light possible, but there's just no way you can spin this one.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go drown my anger and disgust at this latest disaster in one of those Jumbo-Sized Slurpees I mentioned earlier.