Did Patriots rookie Ja'Lynn Polk drop an Iraq War reference in training camp?

Ja'Lynn Polk is among a multitude of wide receivers looking to make it to the New England Patriots' final roster. But a satirical account by the name of Boston Cream published a fake comment of Polk, claiming the rookie wideout referenced the 2003 initial invasion of Iraq during practice on Friday:

“I heard the fans say that the Patriots don’t have any weapons. Well, this isn’t Iraq buddy. When the other teams comes looking for trouble, they will find weapons of mass destruction here,” the tweet said.

Even if those comments weren't real, one would still be hard-pressed to find "weapons of mass destruction" with the current Patriots roster. The offense has been horrid for the past two seasons with Mac Jones, and that notion appears to remain under whichever of Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett gets the starting nod.

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Ja'Lynn Polk aiming to make Patriots' final roster

A second-round pick in this year's draft, Ja'Lynn Polk is not one to give up on his dreams of making the NFL, especially on as poor a roster as the Patriots'. He said on Thursday:

“I’m here to build up this team and bring what I have. They brought me here for a reason, so I’m coming in here every single day living up to my expectations. I’m not here to prove anybody wrong. I’m just here to prove everybody that believed in me right.”

And already, he is getting more opportunities after an injury to DeMario Douglas. He continued:

“I feel a lot more comfortable. Getting my feet on the ground, just having confidence and competing. I think the biggest thing is just going out there and competing every single rep, every single day, and putting in your preparation.”

One of his teammates is also optimistic about those chances - cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who played against Ja'Lynn Polk in the PAC-12:

“He’s coming in and doing what he’s got to do. He’s keeping his head down, but he’s an energy guy. His energy’s infectious.

“Being around him — not just playing against him but now being on the same team with him — it’s fun to see how cool of a guy and how happy he is. He’s hungry. He’s ready to go.”

The Patriots' preseason begins against the Carolina Panthers on August 8. Their regular season begins a month later at the Cincinnati Bengals.