Modell’s Sporting Goods forced to donate $500,000 in Patriots AFC championship clothing

There is still time left to purchase New England’s AFC championship t-shirts. All any fan needs to do is get online, purchase an airline ticket to a third-world country and starting searching for that memorabilia.

According to the Boston Herald, Modell’s Sporting Goods spent $500,000 to have AFC championship clothing to celebrate New England advancing to the Super Bowl in select stores. In fact, Rick Friedland tweeted a picture of a Patriots t-shirt he saw for sale at a Modell’s in New York City.

Spoiler alert: New England did not win.

Leagues print gear for both teams every year (the hats and shirts the Broncos were wearing minutes after the game were printed ahead of time, obviously, and the Patriots would have had the same gear if they won), but Modell's wanted the merchandise ready for fans the moment the game ended and paid for it. Denver defeated New England, 26-16, in the championship game, leaving the department store with plenty of stuff nobody wants to buy.

“We took a tremendous risk, but you know what? People expect us to have the merchandise,” a source told the Boston Herald prior to the game. “We printed up everything: hats, shirts, T-shirts, novelties, pennants — you name it — for men, women, kids.”

That unsold merchandise will be donated to a third-world country.

“We’re not allowed to sell it,” a source told the Boston Herald.

This is probably not the charitable effort New England wants to be identified with.