Matt Patricia Dodges Questions About Wearing Goodell Clown Shirt
BOSTON (CBS) -- Much like his boss had little interest in talking about an undefeated season, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia didn't have time to discuss the shirt he wore after returning from Houston last February.
Patricia made headlines for wearing a T-shirt mocking NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as he walked off the plane when the team returned home from their Super Bowl LI victory. His decision to wear the shirt, which shows Goodell sporting a clown nose, hurt the commissioner's feelings back then, and still irks him to this day.
Asked about the T-shirt when he met with reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, Patricia dodged the inquiry with an answer that would make Bill Belichick proud.
"I mean, right now it's all about training camp," said Patricia. "We're getting ready to go. My focus is our guys, getting ready, making sure we have some good meetings this afternoon and making sure we have a productive day. That's where we're at."
Asked if he regretted donning the T-shirt, Patricia again turned the attention to the present.
"Like I said, the questions are all about today, training camp, this season, and I don't want to take away from anything to do with that," he said.
Goodell better get over Patricia's wardrobe pretty quick, because he's going to see plenty of those shirts when he visits Gillette Stadium on September 7 for the season opener.