It’s kinda sorta true, according to presidential historian Michael Beschloss. The Patriots did (probably facetiously) offer up a roster spot to former Harvard wide receiver and then-President of the United States John F. Kennedy in 1961.
Invitation for JFK to play football for the Patriots, 1961: pic.twitter.com/SDghKzcUmR
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) November 30, 2015
So the 1961 Patriots were in need of help at receiver. As Yahoo’s Jay Busbee rightly notes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
For what it’s worth, Kennedy was 43 years old at the time.