Gov. LePage No Fan Of Patriots, Won’t Watch Super Bowl

Gov. Paul LePage says he will not be rooting for the Patriots on Sunday, and he doesn't plan on watching the Super Bowl.

While speaking with Ken Altshuler and Matthew Gagnon of WGAN radio in South Portland on Thursday, LePage said he holds grudges against the Patriots for reneging on a plan to move the team to Connecticut and the team's selection of convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez the 2010 NFL draft.

He said he has “a real hard time getting over what Bob Kraft did to the state of Connecticut.”

In the late 1990s, the Patriots backed out of a publicly announced plan to relocate to Hartford after the team worked out a new stadium deal in Massachusetts.

The governor also takes issue with the decision to draft tight end Aaron Hernandez, who is serving a life sentence for murder and also faces two counts of first-degree murder in a separate case.

"We knew he was a bad guy from the get-go but they still took him on," LePage said. "They knew he was just a moving time bomb.”

LePage, who is a fan of the New York Giants, did have some positive things to say about the team, calling Tom Brady “probably one of the most fantastic quarterbacks who’s ever going to play the game” and Bill Belichick “the best coach in football.”