Well, this is interesting.
Anyone who has followed the NFL closely in recent years, knows the rather shady reputation that the New England Patriots have developed when it comes to sharing team information with the public. Be it injuries, discipline, or almost anything else involving his team, Coach Belichick is known for his short, vague, and often confusing dialogue with the media in press conferences; however, in a report published by Pro Football Talk, he may have violated league policy by flat-out lying about player’s injuries sustained throughout the season.
In an interview with WGR 550 in Buffalo, former Patriots linebacker (who recently signed a 1-year deal with the Buffalo Bills) Brandon Spikes suggested the Patriots fudged his injuries in order to place him on injured reserve.
“I heard they put me on IR and stuff like that. That was just a false report,” Spikes said on Monday morning during the interview. ” He then suggested this practice wasn’t limited to only him. “That’s just how things go there. Almost like what happened with [Aqib] Talib and his hip.”
Talib, who signed a 6-year deal with the Denver Broncos earlier this month; also had something to say about the allegations made by his former teammate.
“The Patriots have their way of reporting stuff, but I haven’t had a hip problem since Tampa,” Talib said Wednesday. “The injury I had was actually a quad injury. It was reported as a hip injury, but that’s how they do things.”
It is clear that there has been some misinformation given. The only question: is it coming from players trying to strengthen their situations or have we again happened upon the Patriots forgetting to report their injuries correctly?