Word is starting to get around that Mac Jones is a dirty player, but his head coach doesn’t think Jones is dirty.
It’s been a conversation ever since he entered the NFL last year, but the conversation reignited after his low block on Eli Apple on Christmas Eve that many think was not only egregious, but pointless.
Head coach Bill Belichick, left, and Mac Jones during pregame at Hard Rock Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
(Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Jones dove into the knees of Apple, who was several yards behind his teammate returning a fumble.
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However, when asked if he thought Jones was a dirty player, head coach Bill Belichick took a different route.
“I’m not going to sit here and comment on … We could go through the rest of our roster and ask the same questions,” Belichick responded. “I’m not going to get into any of that…
“Right now, my focus is on the Miami Dolphins. It’s not about another game, another play, another year, what somebody else said or didn’t say,” Belichick said. “I don’t think about those things.”
Jones was fined more than $11,000 for the hit, which he called “just part of the game.”
Mac Jones of the New England Patriots looks down during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Gillette Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
(Nick Grace/Getty Images)
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“I went down in front of him to get in the way and prevent him from slowing down Tyquan [Thornton], who could obviously make the entrance there. So she just fell in front of him, trying to stop one fast guy from getting to another fast guy. It’s a split-second decision, and there’s a lot involved,” he said Monday.
“You’re trying to compete, it’s a physical game. I’m just trying to help the team win. I have all the respect for Eli and the Bengals. They played a great game. So no hard feelings and definitely no intention.” hurt anybody on that play.”
Mac Jones of the New England Patriots after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Las Vegas.
(Chris Unger/Getty Images)
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New England will need a win this week over the Dolphins, who have lost four in a row, before closing out the regular season with a 12-3 game against the Buffalo Bills.
Paulina Dedaj and Scott Thompson of Fox News contributed to this report.
