Over the years, the New England Patriots had some intriguing players on their roster, and one such player was Matt Light. When not protecting Tom Brady on the field, Matt enjoyed hunting, even around the Patriots’ arena. However, not everyone was comfortable with a weapon on stadium property, including, as it turns out, his then-coach, Bill Belichick, with whom he had quite the tussle.
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During an episode of the ‘Games with Names’ podcast, Matt Light, joined by former teammate Julian Edelman, reminisced about his pastime of bow hunting near Gillette Stadium. The former offensive tackle mentioned having unofficial permission from the owner, Robert Kraft, and that is all he needed. However, Belichick felt otherwise.
Matt was having breakfast in the cafeteria when Belichick approached him and bluntly informed him that he could no longer bring his weapon to the team facility.
“I’m eating breakfast. Bill walks in and he’s like, ‘I mean look, what are we doing? You can’t have a f*****g weapon on stadium property.'” Matt recalled.
Matt, however, felt that his bringing a mere bow to the facility was being taken out of proportion, as it was not like he was carrying a gun, which is against the rules.
Belichick then berated Matt and set the record straight that the latter didn’t need to educate him about the rules, and Matt instantly felt that he had made a mistake. After that incident, the former O-lineman never took his bow to the team facility ever again.
However, this wasn’t the only conflict the offensive lineman had due to his hunting habits. He had another clash with the security guard near the stadium right before getting a stern warning from his head coach.
Matt Light’s Kerfuffle Due to Hunting Near the Team Facility
Interestingly, Matt’s conflict wasn’t only with Belichick, as the former NFL star also got into it with one of the guards of the facility, who, in Matt’s description, had a lazy eye.
The unnamed guard, reportedly sent by Mark Briggs, COO of the Patriots, made it clear to the offensive lineman that he couldn’t bring a bow onto the stadium property. However, Light remained resolute in his pursuit of a roosting turkey and proceeded to set up camp. He successfully harvested some meat and even brought it to the training facility.
The three-time Super Bowl champ recalled how he would often store the meat in the fridge, where the team’s chef would prepare it for him. However, due to potential complaints and the altercation in the cafeteria, that adventurous part of his life came to an end.
