A posting on Reddit by a mystery person — the first to say that Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is facing a four-game suspension for violating the league' s performance enhancing drug policy — sent the internet into a tizzy with a post that had Patriots fans speculating about an imminent Rob Gronkowski trade.
ESPN formally reported the news Thursday of Edelman's suspension. Now, everyone wants to know who this mysterious poster is.
"Really, the Julian Edelman story germinated about a month ago with people on Twitter and people on Reddit who heard about this,” said NBC Sports Boston's Tom Curran.
Curran says social media has changed the sports news landscape.
"I think the fanbase in New England, in Boston in particular, is so knowledgeable and so plugged in and so passionate ... that we ... in the conventional media can never discount the possibility that there is more than a shred of truth to anything that's out there," he explained.
Friday, the same Reddit poster claimed to have more major Patriots news, leading many to believe Gronkowski was about to be dealt.
In the end, that rumor never panned out Friday, but Curran says the Patriots have shopped Gronkowski around in the past.
U.S. & World
People love to talk Patriots, and some fans say they'll get through all the drama.
"I'm sure they'll work it out," said one fan.
"I'm going to stick with them because they're just the best, but I think they're going to have a tough year this year," said another.
