In what has become a theme for the New England Patriots every other offseason or so, they’re being punished by the NFL for violating league rules. Today, head coach Bill Belichick got his punishment for the team’s latest violation – and fans are pretty amused by it.
According to Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, Belichick has been fined $50,000 as part of the team’s offseason violations. The Patriots had already been stripped of two days of voluntary team activities.
Some fans think it’s yet another sign that Belichick is a cheater while others have pointed out that the Patriots tend to win titles whenever they’re accused (or found guilty) of cheating anyway:
We’re back 😂 https://t.co/jMeTqqg3I4
— ZAP (@ZapCrodie) May 25, 2023
Ring 7 is on the way https://t.co/8SRIlOeC3p
— VM27 (@VM_2277) May 25, 2023
This mans stay into some scandal lol 😂
— TexAtlanta23🇵🇷 (@texatlanta23) May 25, 2023
Bill Belichick has been fined numerous times through the years for various violations of league rules. His most notable ones were a $500,000 fine in 2007 for Spygate and another $50,000 fine for yanking the arm of an official in a game against the Ravens when seeking a rules clarification.
There certainly has been a correlation between years in which Belichick was punished and years in which his Patriots had superb seasons.Â
Perhaps it really is a sign that the 2023 season will finally see the Patriots get over the hump in the post-Tom Brady era.