After the Raiders nudged past the Patriots with a dramatic 21-17 victory in Week 6, veteran defensive lineman Adam Butler had hoped to give a greeting of some kind—any kind, really—to Patriots coach Bill Belichick. He was the coach, after all, who had given Butler a chance as an undrafted rookie back in 2017, and Butler helped the Patriots to a Super Bowl title in 2019. But “disrespect” was all the Radiers’ Adam Butler got from Bill Belichick on Sunday.
From the locker room on Sunday, Butler, who had a first-quarter sack on Mac Jones, said he was disappointed in the reception he got from his old coach.
“Before today, after the game, had a lot of appreciation for coach Belichick, still do in a sense, have a lot of appreciation for Robert Kraft, very thankful to him,” Butler said. “You know, but it did make me very upset that Bill didn’t even have the respect for me to say anything after the game.
“Not even congratulate me, tell me, ‘You look good,’ or, ‘You don’t look good.’ Whatever. ‘Kiss my a**,’ something. But he didn’t say anything. You know, so, made me feel disrespected, you know, made me feel bad.”
#Raiders DL Adam Butler who played for the Patriots from ’17-’20 loved catching up with his former teammates but wasn’t happy with Bill Belichick after the game
“It did make me very upset that Bill didn’t even have the respect for me to say anything after the game”
Adam Butler Bonded With Bill Belichick in 2017
Though the Raiders are pretty well stocked with ex-Patriots, from coach Josh McDaniels to injured quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, his backup, Brian Hoyer, and receiver Jakobi Meyers, Butler still warranted more acknowledgement from Belichick.
BUTLER WITH THE SACK!
#NEvsLV | 📺 CBS
Butler was not exactly a fly-by Patriot, and had a strong relationship with Belichick that began back in 2017 ahead of Pro Day at Vanderbilt, where Butler played.
Belichick asked to have a film session with Butler the night before. Butler agreed, and the session lasted two hours. Belichick, a Nashville native, came away impressed and had Butler on the radar once it was clear he was not going to be selected in that years’ draft.
“(Belichick) has a vision like nobody I’ve ever seen before. He can foreshadow things like no one else,” Butler said, via the Tennessean, ahead of the 2019 Super Bowl. “He is able to pick apart every team to the greatest detail. It’s so impressive when you experience it. He lives up to his name.”
That made Bill Belichick’s disrespect for the Raiders end all the more puzzling.
Raiders Put Bill Belichick Disrespect Aside
For the Raiders, the Patriots connections did not much matter in this one. It was clear from the get-go that New England’s offense, so inept in its last two games (they scored three points vs. the Saints and Cowboys combined), would be better in Week 6. It was clear, too, that when Jimmy Garoppolo went down and had to leave the game, there would be pressure on the defense.
The surging Raiders D was not going to be thrown off track. They sacked Mac Jones of the Pats four times. The final sack was a safety by Maxx Crosby that all but ended the game.
“Our chemistry and that bond is tighter than ever,” Butler added. “As the games go by, we learn a little bit more about each other. Obviously we’re a brand new group. … We understand where different people are going to be in certain times. And I feel the very last play of the game showed that.”
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Raiders DE Calls Out Bill Belichick Postgame ‘Disrespect’