Following a 41-14 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014, former NFL quarterback and then-ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer ripped the New England Patriots, saying “Let’s face it, they’re not good anymore.”
Dilfer made an appearance on WEEI’s “Mut & Callahan” on Thursday, saying after the Patriots Super Bowl LI victory, Bill Belichick’s son and Patriots safeties coach Steve got in his face and reminded him of the comments he made two years earlier.
“The only encounter I had, and I understood it, was on the field after the game against the Falcons (Super Bowl LI),” Dilfer said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “That Super Bowl, the great comeback and the late win. Bill (Belichick’s) son got in my face and was pretty adamant reminding me. He must not have heard the 30,000 apologies that I made in owning the stupidity of my comments in the media. That was the only grudge, I guess.”
Dilfer added he completely understands why Steve held on to those comments from so long ago.
“I get it. Hey, if I was an athlete, when I was playing and if people said stupid things about me, I carried it too,” Dilfer said. “I held onto it. I used it as motivation. I resented those people. I totally 100 percent understand it. I have never run from it because it’s part of the job.”
There’s plenty of emotion in the NFL, and Dilfer says he doesn’t have an issue with Steve’s comments.
“People at the end of the day in the NFL, there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of excitement and conflict at times,” Dilfer said. “As a fraternity in general, I think we all understand the level of emotion and the level of enthusiasm both good and bad that goes into being part of the NFL community and it is part of the deal.”
Dilfer has apologized multiple times and owned the comments to this day, saying “I made fun of myself for saying it. I don’t know what else I can do, but there are still people that maybe didn’t hear it, or they just want to keep piling on, and I get it.”
The Patriots have appeared in four of the five Super Bowls that took place after Dilfer’s comments.
