Bill Belichick Blasts Dolphins for Dirty Play
By Tyler Maher
After a 31-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 8, tensions are boiling over for the New England Patriots and their fans.
While the final outcome was disappointing, many are more upset with the referees for their one-sided officiating. Several dirty plays by the Dolphins were not flagged by the referees, including a helmet-to-helmet hit that gave DeVante Parker a concussion and Ezekiel Elliott getting tripped.
Even Bill Belichick, who is usually careful not to criticize the refs or opposing players, couldn't hide his frustration.
"I like to feel like our players are getting protected like everybody elses. The tripping on Ezekiel Elliott, that's another dangerous play. Stuff like that, there shouldn't be any place for that in football" -- Bill Belichick, on @TheGregHillShow
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 30, 2023
During his weekly Monday morning interview on The Greg Hill Show, Belichick was clearly still disgusted with Miami's play and the officials' failure to penalize.
In addition to the Parker hit and not feeling like his players were being protected, the legendary head coach was especially mad about a tripping violation on Elliott that the referees apparently missed.
Bill Belichick was mad about this play this morning.
— Savage (@SavageSports_) October 30, 2023
Ezekiel Elliott got tripped on this play and it wasn’t called.
Along with the helmet to helmet hit on Devante Parker, it was a bad day for the officials. pic.twitter.com/cBQBa0bnCa
The Elliott tripping happened on New England's second drive of the game in the first quarter and possibly prevented him from getting a first down. Instead, it set up a third down for the Patriots, which they failed to convert before punting the ball away.
That was just the start of a long day for New England, which was consistently the victim of poor officiating. While refs tend to favor the home team, it was especially egregious in this case, especially with Parker getting hurt and Elliott narrowly avoiding injury.
By the end of the first half, Belichick had already had enough.
I'm not great at lip-reading, but I believe Bill Belichick said 'I disagree with that call, but i respect it!'pic.twitter.com/wEV8Rmrqa4
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) October 29, 2023
The Patriots were already at a disadvantage on the road against a much better team, so having so many calls go against them didn't help.
Hopefully the officiating will be more fair in Week 9 when New England hosts the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium.
Think the Patriots can bounce back at home in Week 9? Make sure to back them at BetMGM Sportsbook! They're offering a massive $1,500 no-sweat first bet to new users. If you bet on the Patriots and they come up short today, you'll get the full amount of your first wager back (up to $1,500) in bonus bets. Sign up now and take your shot today!
More New England Patriots news and analysis:
feed