Bill Belichick Gave Julian Edelman Permission To Mother-Bleep The Patriots As A Media Member
BOSTON (CBS) -- From Tedy Bruschi to Willie McGinest, from Rodney Harrison to Randy Moss and Rob Ninkovich, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has seen many of his former players make the transition into the football media after their playing days. Julian Edelman is merely the latest.
The 35-year-old had to retire after last season, and he quickly got himself a job as an analyst on "Inside The NFL" on Paramount+. In an interview on the podcast "Pardon My Take," Edelman shared that he was a little apprehensive about sharing this news with his former boss.
But as it turns out, Bill Belichick had been through this before, and he gave Edelman his blessing to say whatever needs to be said.
"It was so crazy," Edelman said. "So, I retired this offseason, and I haven't seen [Belichick]. And I end up going to some little shindig, and he was there. And like, it's been publicized that I was doing 'Inside The NFL' for like five months. And so he looks at me and he goes, 'Hey, what are you up to now?' I'm like, 'I'm doing Inside The NFL.' And he looks at me and he goes, 'Oh you're doing media?' And I go, 'Yeah, you know, it's going to be kind of fun.' I didn't know what I could say to him -- you know, he's scary, he's intimidating. And so he goes, 'Now look. Like. You can't be a homer.' Then he goes, 'If you have to mother [bleep] us, you can mother [bleep] us.' It felt like a mafia meeting. You were like ... but it was cool."
Edelman added: "He was telling me to do my job. Yeah, it was like fresh out of a movie, like I was at 'A Bronx Tale' at like an Italian restaurant and I see the old mob boss."
Albeit without the Bronx Tale comparison, it's a similar story to one shared to ESPN by Rodney Harrison recently.
"I was just up there for the Patriots Hall of Fame [in 2019], and Belichick told me and Willie McGinest, 'Look, if you guys have to criticize me, I understand it. You have a job to do.' I was like, 'Coach, I have no problem with that!' It was nice for him to say that, because somebody that gave me an opportunity, who really believed in you, the last thing you want to do is criticize him," Harrison told Mike Reiss in June. "But I had to do my job."
While Edelman got that same message, he nevertheless felt a little nervous about seeing Belichick after doing a Belichick impression on TV.
"I did have a couple things on the show 'Inside The NFL' where I was kind of mocking him, or I did a voice, a little impression. And so when I went back, I went back there for a game, I saw him, and like, I'm like, 'Hey coach.' And I didn't know how to react," Edelman said. "Because he said something in the media, [radio host] Greg Hill called him out, was like, 'Hey, you hear about Edelman impersonating you?' And he goes yeah, he gave one of his smirks. And so, like I'm kind of sweating, I'm on the sideline before the game, and Coach comes up, I'm like, 'Hey Coach, you know I'm just kind of like messing around?' He's like, 'Yeah, you're all right.' I'm like, aw, we're good, we're gold. That means I gotta see where the line's at. I gotta see where the line's at, and I guess I haven't hit that line yet."
