Patriots would've been wise to keep these guys at bay

Of all the FBI's connections with New England sports, none may be more ironic than the bureau's choice of agents to counsel the Patriots in the 1980s on avoiding contact with disreputable figures involved in gambling and other organized crimes.

Each preseason, under orders from NFL security, the Patriots met with agents from the FBI's Boston office. The agents briefed the players about individuals and establishments in Boston and Providence they should shun to protect their reputations and the NFL's, according to Patrick Sullivan, the team's general manager at the time.

The irony: Two of the agents, Sullivan said, were John Connolly Jr. and John Morris, who turned out to be corrupt supporters of Whitey Bulger's murderous underworld enterprise.

Connolly was sentenced in 2002 to 10 years in prison for racketeering and now faces a first-degree murder charge stemming from his relationship with Bulger. Morris, who admitted abetting Bulger's crimes and accepting bribes from the gangster, was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his cooperation with investigators.

BOB HOHLER