We all know Bill Belichick is a pretty strict and intimidating guy.
How strict, you ask?
Well, strict enough that former New England offensive lineman Rich Ohrnberger admitted on his radio show that, at one point during his tenure with the Patriots, he intentionally got in a car accident to avoid the wrath of Belichick for being late.
Ohrnberger said his phone had died in the middle of the night, causing his alarm to not go off. He realized he would be 10 minutes late to a team meeting, and he was fearful of being cut by Belichick, who takes punctuality seriously.
That was when he saw the church van — battered from taking a few dings in the past with smoke coming out of the exhaust.
“I’m just like, ‘I’m gonna hit this car,” Ohrnberger recounted.
@hartmanandricho What would you do if you were late for a #Patriots team meating??? #NFL #Trending #TrainingCamp #ForYouPage #ForYou #FYP @richohrnberger @New England Patriots
Now, in Ohrnberger’s defense, he did add that he did not hit the van very hard (though hard enough to cause a dent to his own car, which he needed to provide proof of the accident to the Patriots). And plus, Belichick is a pretty scary guy.
A former fourth-round pick, Ohrnberger spent the first three seasons of his career in New England before playing brief stints with Arizona and San Diego. He retired after the 2014 season having appeared in 31 games with five starts during his six years in the league.
To be clear, intentionally causing a car accident just to avoid a lecture (or worse) from Belichick is ill-advised. With that being said… I get it, man.
