Short-Term Patriots Star Made Hilarious Mistake With Bill Belichick

The New England Patriots often brought in experimental former starts under Bill Belichick for a low-risk boost.

Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, joined the group in a trade to the Patriots prior to the 2011 season when New England reached Super Bowl XLVI. The All-Pro receiver played 15 games and caught 15 passes in his final NFL season. His teammate, Julian Edelman, shared a memory that stands out of the field that season on his “Dudes on Dudes” podcast with fellow former Patriot Rob Gronkowski.

“We traded for Chad and we were installing our offense,” Edelman shared. “Chad O’Shea, our coach, he goes, ‘All right guys. We got everything. It’s all good. Just don’t be seen, I’m going to let you out of meetings early. Don’t be seen be seen. We still have a team meeting.”

In his early weeks in New England, a polite gesture from Johnson backfired through a memorable interaction with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

“He thought it would be smart to leave the facility and on the way out poke his head into Bill’s office and ask if he wanted anything from Starbucks,” Edelman said. “… I think he was still new and trying to be friendly. Total accident.”

The one-year Patriots receiver caught one pass for 21 yards during New England’s second Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants in four years.