Golden Tate and the case of the missing maple bars
With the Super Bowl approaching, let’s look back at that one incident in Golden Tate’s rookie year that forever linked him with “donuts.”
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
When people think of Golden Tate, they tend to think of crazy circus catches, the occasional taunting penalty and, of course, the Fail Mary. However, one incident that happened in his rookie year already endeared him to Seahawks -- the now-infamous donut scandal.
The story goes like this: After being drafted by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Tate rented an upstairs room above a local Top Pot establishment in Bellevue, WA. One night, Tate came home at around 3 a.m., well after the store was closed. He found his way into the cafe with a friend and tried to take some freshly baked maple bars. Shop owners called the police, but after Tate explained the situation -- in what must've been an awkward conversation -- he was let off with a warning and no charges were pressed.
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll was notified of the incident but, like most reasonable bosses, he doesn’t blame Tate for wanting to get his hands on some sweet, sweet Top Pot maple bars, even after hours. From the Seattle Times:
“I’m not disappointed in a guy being in a doughnut shop when they’ve got maple bars like Top Pot has,” Pete Carroll said. “However, under the circumstances I think they were closed or they were trying to close or something like that. So that’s definitely one. We talked about it, addressed it and he’s most remorseful about it and all that.
“I do understand the allure of the maple bars.”
Top Pot took advantage of the free publicity with this humorous ad campaign. Tate ended up becoming a spokesman for the company and now gets all the free maple bars he wants. Nearly five years after this incident, it appears everybody came out a winner, especially fans of delicious baked goods.SB Nation’s Super Bowl coverage
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