Patrick Bates

Article summary

Patrick James Bates (born November 27, 1970) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Raiders and later played for the Atlanta Falcons after being traded by the Raiders in exchange for the Falcons' second-round selection in the 1996 NFL draft. Out of high school, Bates played college football with the UCLA Bruins, but transferred to Texas A&M Aggies in 1991. Soon, Bates would become one of the best players of the A&M's famed "Wrecking Crew" of the early 1990s. In 1993, Bates was a first-round draft pick by the Los Angeles Raiders. After several off-field mishaps, he never realized his full potential, which is why ESPN named him the 37th of the top 50 busts in NFL draft history.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1970-11-27 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1970-11-27". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.