THERE’S a mutiny brewing in New England.
Well, at least that’s what one New England Patriots insider said on a team-sponsored podcast.
Patriots reporter Evan Lazar claimed the team was close to a mutiny[/caption]
The Patriots started the season 1-3[/caption]
That’s right, a podcast that the Patriots themselves publish just said the team is near a mutiny inside of the locker room.
Evan Lazar, a senior reporter for Patriots.com, painted the ugly picture for fans on a recent episode of the Catch 22 podcast.
This podcast is published on patriots.com, the main website of the NFL team.
“Right now they are teetering on mutiny in that locker room,” Lazar said.
“And I don’t want to be an alarmist or [be hyperbolic]… I don’t. But I was in that locker room after the game on Sunday. The defense is mad at the defense.
“The offense is mad at the offense. You have young receivers who are literally throwing tantrums on film.”
The podcast was swiftly removed from the website, but it is significant to hear a team employee talking so badly about the Patriots.
Wide receiver Pop Douglass displayed his frustrations with the team on the field after the Patriots lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
“That’s not me. I felt bad as soon as I watched it. That was poor by me, how I was on the field,” Douglass told MassLive on Wednesday.
“But my team got my back, and I definitely got theirs. It’s just my love of the game. And I love winning.”
Lazar said on the deleted podcast that offensive players are antsy for rookie quarterback Drake Maye to get a shot at playing.
“You’re at the point now with 52 other guys in that locker room that all watch both these two quarterbacks practice every single day. That all know that they drafted Drake Maye third overall,” Lazar said.
“At what point in time do some of these guys say to themselves, ‘Why am I going out there and getting my butt kicked every single Sunday and Drake can’t?
“Like why am I going out there with a quarterback who can’t get me the football, when we’ve got the Ferrari back in the garage that can get me the football?”
Lazar has since walked back on his mutiny claims and other statements he made on the podcast.
“The word I used, ‘mutiny,’ there is no mutiny in the Patriots locker room,” Lazar said over the phone on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
NFL important dates
August 1 – Hall of Fame Game – Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears
August 8 – Pre-season begins
August 27 – Deadline for 53-man rosters
September 1 – Final day of pre-season
September 5 – Season opener – Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs
November 5 – Trade deadline
January 5 – Week 18 of regular-season
January 11 – Playoffs begin
February 9 – Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana
“And like I said I got carried away and that was my bad. That was not what was going on.
“I think just the biggest thing that I worry about — and this is just me, personally, my opinion — is how long the rest of the players in the locker room going to sit there and take their lumps while Drake Maye waits in the wings and waits for his turn.
“So it was just my opinion and it kind of came out stronger than I intended it to.”
While Lazar walked back on his claims, many fans were quick to back him up for telling the truth about the team.
“Common Evan W. This is not uncommon for him,” one fan said.
“He really made some solid points whether we like it or not lol,” another fan said.
“This was bound to happen what did they expect,” a third fan said.
The Patriots have rookie quarterback Drake Maye waiting to start[/caption]
