Getty Images New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon
There’s nothing quite like rumors flying around just hours before a Monday Night Football kick off. Yesterday, the New England Patriots took on the Buffalo Bills in what ended up being a convincing victory on the road by the Pats. While nobody was surprised with the result of the final score, everybody was surprised to find out that Patriots’ newly acquired wide receiver Josh Gordon would get the start.
Hours leading up to game time, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted out that the Patriots had plans to discipline Gordon on Monday Night Football due to the fact that he was late for team meetings earlier in the week. Although he was expected to play, he wasn’t supposed to start. Plus, he was rumored to miss a significant amount of snaps.
Everybody was surprised to find out that Gordon did in fact, start on Monday despite the rumors from Rapoport. Not only did he start, but he found his average amount of snaps as well. Gordon ended up with four catches for 42 yards against the Buffalo defense. So, not exactly a big day at the office for Gordon, but he at least he avoided the punishment that was coming his way. Or, so we thought he did.
Was Gordon Even Being Punished?
It turns out that the reports of Josh Gordon being punished for tardiness are false. After the Patriots 25-6 victory over the Bills, the local media couldn’t wait to ask Bill Belichick about the Josh Gordon incident, as everybody was curious as to why he ended up starting. And the answer was simple – It turns out that Bill Belichick has no idea where those rumors came from.
According to NESN’s Zack Cox, Belichick was unaware of any reports floating around regarding Josh Gordon being punished for being late. Although Gordon didn’t deny the reports of him being late, he wasn’t so sure about his punishment himself. And as for Belichick, he claims that the disciplinary action was never an idea in the first place.