The New England Patriots’ former team doctor again is facing the NFL Players Association’s ire.
The union claims Dr. Thomas Gill altered Jonathan Fanene’s medical treatment in an effort to bolster a legal case to force the ex-Patriots defensive end to return his $3.85 million signing bonus, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing a court document filed in an unrelated case. Patriots coach Bill Belichick directly attempted to delay Fanene’s knee surgery so the lineman would retire — and therefore forego his bonus — according to the union.
The Patriots released Fanene in August 2012 for “failure to disclose physical condition.” The NFLPA in 2013 demanded the Patriots terminate Gill, who denied wrongdoing.
The Patriots did not respond to the Post’s requests for comment. Gill told the Post the grievance was a “legal maneuver.”
Gill came under fire toward the end of his Patriots tenure for putting the concerns of the team above the players. He stepped down as the Patriots’ team physician in April 2014, but he claimed the resignation had nothing to do with the grievance.
Fanene accepted a settlement with the Patriots that prevents him from discussing the matter, his attorney, Angelo Wright, told the Post.
Thumbnail photo via Jake Roth/USA TODAY Sports Images
