A simple four-word hashtag cropped up Sunday and began creeping onto feeds and timelines.
#NoBradyNoBanner
Two Facebook groups with the same name were created, and it began trending on Twitter in the Boston area.
Patriots fans started the movements with the hope the team won’t raise its Super Bowl XLIX banner with quarterback Tom Brady suspended.
The championship banner is usually unveiled prior to the first home game of the season, which this year comes against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10.
The @Patriots shouldn't hoist a thing without the man who won the ring #MVP #NoBradyNoBanner
— Mike From Woburn (@MikeFromWoburn) May 10, 2015
“If Brady is suspended opening night, we don’t practice the tradition of unvileling the Super Bowl Banner,” the description reads for one of the Facebook pages.
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Scott Zolak, co-host of Zolak and Bertrand on 98.5 The Sports Hub, jumped in on the action on Twitter Tuesday morning.
See you at 10 pic.twitter.com/wRobpn6ZdE
— Scott Zolak (@scottzolak) May 12, 2015
The banner will be the fourth raised in Gillette Stadium. The team has not commented on this year’s banner ceremony.
■ Taking the support of the Patriots to the next level, a GoFundMe account was created to help raise funds to pay the team’s $1 million fine. By Tuesday morning, 39 people had donated $1,160. If the goal is met, the account promises to “we will fly down there (on our own expenses) and deliver a check in person!”
■ Jack DeManche, who is a digital strategist for Allen & Gerritsen in Boston, created a website for fans to directly contact NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about Deflategate.
http://t.co/0QZxItqBa7 #TomBrady #TB12 #NewEnglandPatriots pic.twitter.com/MqZnkZh3ju
— Jack DeManche (@GenuineJack) May 12, 2015