FOXBORO, Mass. — Malcolm Mitchell did not want to discuss his pregame dust-up with Buffalo Bills players.
Martellus Bennett, on the other hand, had no problem doing so.
“I wasn’t out there,” the New England Patriots tight end said after Sunday’s 16-0 loss to the Bills at Gillette Stadium. “It would have been different if I was out there. I don’t let that (expletive) happen.”
Bills safety Robert Blanton initiated the scrap when he shoved Patriots rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett during pregame warmups. Mitchell, a rookie wide receiver who’d been jogging alongside Brissett, retaliated, inciting a fracas that several Bills defensive backs and Patriots assistant coaches quickly joined.
Blanton later said he’d taken offense to Brissett and Mitchell running through Buffalo’s defensive drills rather than around them.
Bennett, who said after the game he has taken Brissett “under (his) wing” this season, did not seem surprised that the Bills were the other team involved in the scrap.
“That’s who they are,” Bennett said. “We got them back on the — I got some plays out there on some guys.”
Bennett arguably was the Patriots’ best offensive player in the loss. He caught five passes for a game-high 109 yards, 58 of which came on one reception midway through the second quarter.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
