Getty Bill Belichick (right), Patriots coach
A coach certainly has a right to spend his postgame moments however he likes, especially when he is a losing coach and when his team is on the road. Getting onto the team plane and getting out of town are the two priorities. Ex-Patriots end Adam Butler understands that but still found “disrespect” in the cold shoulder he got from Bill Belichick on Sunday.
In the wake of the Raiders‘ 21-17 win over Patriots on Sunday, Butler had strong words for Belichick. He 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 Butler got from Bill Belichick.
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 ex-Patriots end all the more puzzling.
Patriots’ Early Deficits Remain a Problem
Of course, for Belichick, there are bigger things to worry about at this point. The Patriots are now 1-5 on the season, the first 1-5 start in New England since 1995. While the loss in las Vegas did not bear the same hopelessness that the two previous games — losses to Dallas and New Orleans by a combined 72-3 score — had.
Yet it was another in a part of a trend that Belichick’s team can’t seem to kick: Early deficits.
- Week 1 vs. Eagles: The Patriots trailed, 16-0, after the first quarter.
- Week 2 vs. Dolphins: The Patriots were behind, 17-3, at halftime.
- Week 3 at Jets: The Patriots led, 10-3, at half.
- Week 4 at Cowboys: The Patriots were behind, 28-3, at halftime.
- Week 5 vs. Saints: The Patriots were behind, 21-0, at halftime.
- Week 6 at Raiders: The Patriots were behind, 13-3, at halftime.