The New England Patriots have had an eventful last week, as the team was penalized two OTA workouts as a result of infractions.
Special teams coach Joe Judge was thought to be a key figure with these infractions. Nevertheless, coach Bill Belichick had his assistant’s back on Wednesday.
Judge was New England’s quarterbacks coach last season. The offense struggled, and he was assigned to different duties as an assistant during the offseason. He was a special teams coordinator for the organization from 2015-2019.
When speaking to the media on Wednesday, Belichick made it a point to praise Judge, who is in his 10th season with the organization. He remained firm in his support, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Zack Cox.
“Joe’s great,” Belichick said. “Smart guy. Has a lot of experience. He’ll do whatever we need him to do, and he can do a lot. So he will.”
When asked if Judge was responsible for the OTAs punishment, Belichick took the blame for the entire incident.
“I’m responsible for it, so that’s it,” said Belichick.
New England is ready to turn the page on this latest chapter of controversy within the organization. No team is better at moving on and forgetting than Belichick’s Patriots.