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The New England Patriots preseason game with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night was notable for the play of rookie quarterback (and No. 3 overall pick) Drake Maye.
However, the telecast on the Patriots Preseason Network — which was also televised on NFL Network — provided an awkward, but amusing moment during the third quarter when sideline reporter Steve Burton interviewed New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson.
Burton asked Stevenson about edge rusher Matthew Judon being traded on Wednesday to the Atlanta Falcons. The question was worded vaguely, without Judon’s name being mentioned. But it was probably reasonable to presume that Stevenson knew who Burton was referring to as “the guy who just left” since it happened the previous day.
However, the fourth-year running back mistakenly thought Burton was talking about former head coach Bill Belichick, who moved on from the Patriots during the offseason.
“Yeah, I’m gonna miss Bill; that was one of my favorite coaches,” Stevenson responded. “You know, [Jerod] Mayo, he’s a great leader, he knows what he’s doing with us. And yeah, I’m excited for Mayo and I think we can get it done with him.”
Burton then politely clarified that he wasn’t talking about Mayo. Yet he still didn’t mention Judon by name, referring to him as “your defensive teammate.” Considering how big a story Belichick leaving the Patriots was, Stevenson can’t necessarily be faulted for thinking that Burton was talking about the coach, rather than Judon.
However, Burton then put a punctuation mark on the conversation by attempting to answer for Stevenson by saying Judon was “moving on to better places.” That’s certainly an interesting thing for an employee — perhaps a freelancer but being paid by the Patriots, nonetheless — to say.
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It was probably also presumptuous of Burton to believe Stevenson was thinking that Judon was going to a better team. He probably meant a better situation in which he was happier with his role and a possible future contract. He caught himself and clarified that Judon was moving “to a different place.”
The interview mercifully ended with Stevenson saying that he was excited for Judon, who has “a couple more years in him.” Burton added that the Patriots’ defense is stepping up despite Judon’s absence.
All of this was a reminder of why we don’t get sideline interviews with players during a regular season football game. Even if preseason games are more laid back and less urgent, these are situations with which no one is comfortable.