Philadelphia Eagles Cornerback Sorry For Belichick Comments

Though it was only preseason, the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the New England Patriots on Friday night. But the underlying story of the game came to a head at the conclusion when Patriots coach Bill Belichick shook hands with several Eagles players.

Cary Williams, the Eagles starting cornerback, had called Belichick and the Patriots ‘cheaters’ two weeks ago when he openly questioned why the Eagles organization was sharing practices with the Patriots. The accusation stemmed from the “Tapegate” scandal in which Belichick was found to have ordered his staff to record opponents practices so that the Patriots would have an edge when the teams played. The NFL found Belichick to be in the guilty of the allegations and fined the coach $500,000 during the 2007 season, though he avoided suspension.

But on the field Friday night, Williams found himself face to face with the man he had publicly called out as a cheater and what happened next was a surprise to all. As reported by ESPN, Williams and Belichick exchanged words and then embraced. As Williams explains:

“I told him I was sorry for the words that I said. That was just out of pure emotion, sometimes you say things without really thinking about them. That was a situation where playing these guys in the playoffs, you develop a hate for them and you try to use any type of anything to get your mind on, or get going. In that situation, I could have chosen my words a little bit wiser. But it’s mutual respect between two men. We were able to come together. I told him that I was sorry and I have nothing but the utmost respect for the organization and him as a GM and a coach.”

But what did Belichick say in response? The gruff coach who seldom if ever smiles reportedly told Williams to forget about it. As Williams tells it:

“He said there were no hard feelings and he said he appreciated the comments I made this week, and things like that. It was just two guys respecting each other, understanding that there is some history there. It’s not necessarily bad blood but it’s the spirit of competition. I said some things I wish I could take back.”

Cary Williams is a fiery player for the Eagles. Just last season he got into a fight with his own teammate, wide receiver Riley Cooper, during a practice, as reported here in The Inquisitr. The fight stemmed from some racist remarks that Cooper said in the offseason when he called a black security guard at a concert the “n word” while he was being recorded.

But Williams also understands that football is a game in the end, and a war of words with a man who has won Super Bowls is not the kind of battle you want to get into. The Philadelphia Eagles are now 0-2 this preseason and their next game is Thursday night at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.