FOXBOROUGH, MASS – One NFL team did not bring their A game to a school and are now paying for it!
The Fuel up to Play 60 website states that if enough students from a school participate in the program, they would be rewarded with a gym session complete with New England Patriots. This is according to Alyssa Fabry, a health and education teacher at Lebanon Middle School, CT. The students at the school ended up with one of the highest participation rates in the state.
As their reward, the kids were expecting a chance to meet New England Patriots football players, as well as the opportunity to challenge a set of exercise stations. Instead the kids were rewarded with an intern who happen to have some really neat workout videos. They were also treated to a registered dietician giving them tips on healthy eating. Also, the school’s most dedicated student received a Fred Taylor jersey!
“The event was fun,” said seventh-grader Tom Bergamo, winner of the jersey. “But I was hoping to see a Patriot. I even brought pens and notebooks so I could get autographs.”
“I don’t think I am going to do it again next year,” said Fabry. “They built it up quite a bit and really did not come through.”
The kids at the middle school were disappointed and the Patriots have encountered a lot of heat for their “miscommunication.” That’s what Gary Wheelock, CEO of the New England Dairy and Food Council, is calling the situation. The non-profit group is involved in the program and is taking full responsibility for the mishap.
“New England Dairy & Food Council wishes to apologize for our miscommunication that led to student disappointment that a New England Patriot player did not attend the Lebanon CT Middle School assembly program earlier this week,” Wheelock said. “This was not, in any way, the fault of the Patriots, it was solely New England Dairy & Food Council’s mistake, and we are very sorry.”
“Finally, we promise that we will find a way to make this right, and we ask the kids for their patience while we try to make amends,” he added.
