Community Corner

Patriots Rookie Meets Boy Booed in NYC for Announcing Draft Pick

New England Patriots rookie sixth round pick Nate Ebner recently got to meet the 10-year-old Norton boy who was booed in NYC after announcing his selection at April's Draft.

In April, Norton's Brandon Morabito, 10, had a unique opportunity to announce a New England Patriots' draft pick live at Radio City Music Hall.

But when Morabito took the stage and announced the Patriots had selected defensive back Nate Ebner out of Ohio State with 197th pick in the sixth round, the New York City crowd booed him.

Instead of taking the negative reception to heart, Brandon responded with a smile and yelled the pick even louder. As a result, Brandon, his brother, mother and father were invited as special guests to the Patriots training camp and the Norton boy got to meet the player he announced.

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“Brandon had an amazing day,” said his father, Mark Morabito. “We sat in the VIP tent and were allowed on the field for the last few minutes of practice.”

Brandon and his brother Ryan had photos taken with punter Zoltan Mesko and cornerback Devin McCourty. McCourty autographed his gloves and gave them to him. To top it off, Ebner stopped by to chat with the Morabito family for a while.

“I was told he was out there, so I came over and said ‘hi.’ I thought it was awesome,” Ebner said. “I got to take some pictures, sign his jersey and just tell him thanks for putting up with all that for me.”

The family was grateful for the opportunity to meet the players, Ebner in particular.

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“He was extremely nice,” Morabito said.  

Ebner said that although Brandon seemed shy at first, he could tell the Norton youth was excited. Ebner was happy to meet the Morabito family as well, especially since Brandon was on the receiving end of a tough crowd. Though Ebner was not aware of the booing at the time of the draft announcement, he was told about it later.

“I heard he handled it well,” Ebner said. “It sucks that they were booing him, but I know what it was for. I thought he handled it as good as anyone could, especially for his age. I thought that was great.”

After training camp was over for the day, Ebner Tweeted to his followers: “It was great meeting Brandon Morabito yesterday. Awesome kid and family!”

What could have been an uncomfortable situation turned out to be a great experience for them both. While Ebner is looking forward to his first season as a New England Patriot, Brandon is looking forward to keeping tabs on his newest favorite player. 

“Seeing him smile because he got to meet me, it made me feel good and I’m glad I could put a smile on his and his family’s face,” Ebner said.


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