Bill Belichick Once Fined Ex-Patriot For Sending Tweet Ahead Of Game

Despite what his “SnapFace” and “InstantChat” quips might lead you to believe, Bill Belichick is aware of what’s happening on social media.

Former Patriots safety Darius Butler made as much clear Monday when he recalled a fine he received in his second season with New England. Butler, in the lead-up to a 2010 Patriots-Bengals clash, engaged in a Twitter back-and-forth with Chad Johnson, which Belichick was not a fan of.

“I was in my second year, Devin McCourty was in his rookie year, and we were matching up against him and (Terrell Owens),” Butler said on “The Pat McAfee Show,” as transcribed by Sportscasting.com. “He was talking (expletive) (on Twitter), ‘Ah, you guys going to double me.’ And I’m like, ‘Man, nobody doubled you in two, three years,’ and then Belichick showed me the whole printout Saturday after walkthrough.”

“So, I got fined for ‘conduct detrimental,’ talking about the game plan in typical Bill OG fashion.”

Belichick’s ire proved to be justified. While New England went on to beat Cincinnati 38-24, Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with 12 catches for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Butler, a 2009 second-round pick, was released by the Patriots shortly before the start of the 2011 campaign.