FOXBORO, Mass. — Brandon Spikes is not interested in talking about his messy departure from the New England Patriots.
The linebacker surprisingly re-signed with the Patriots earlier this month after one season with the Buffalo Bills. On his way out last spring, Spikes tweeted his time with the Patriots was “four years a slave.” He also accused the Patriots of misreporting a knee injury.
“I don’t really want to talk about that,” Spikes said Friday after Patriots OTAs. “We can clearly see me and The Hoodie (Patriots head coach Bill Belichick) kissed and made up. I’m here. That’s in the past and I’m moving on. So, that’s dead.”
Spikes’ former teammates also have forgiven the linebacker. Spikes said Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich even waited for him to land at the airport.
“It’s good to see my old friends, old teammates,” Spikes said. “They’ve all embraced me with open arms, so it’s been good.”
That Patriots are giving Spikes a gentle ribbing that he wasn’t part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX championship team.
“That drives me,” Spikes said. “That’s going to help me get up earlier in the morning to come in and work. It just gives me that chip, that extra edge I need to get better each and every day. I want to strive to get better and get me one of those rings so I can show my kids one day. ‘Hey look what your father got.'”
Spikes, who blocked numerous fans and media members on his way out of New England, is starting anew with Patriot Nation. The veteran linebacker unblocked everyone on Twitter in his return.
“I’m not going to give them that power over me anymore,” Spikes said. “It is what it is. I’m still going to interact with the fans, more of the Patritos fans. They’re very passionate fans. If a player had left my organization like that, I would have done the same thing. No bad blood with that.”
Spikes initially played for the Patriots for four years after being drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Safety Patrick Chung returned to the Patriots last offseason after spending one season with the Philadelphia Eagles and stressed nothing had changed in his return. Spikes echoed Chung’s sentiments and said he’s “very, very, very appreciative” to be back.
“It’s the Patriot Way,” Spikes said. “You know how it goes. It obviously works and I’m happy to be a part of it and get the opportunity to prove I can play here and hold myself accountable to my teammates and the coaches. I just want to prove them right.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
