If you’re not on Twitter, you’re missing a wild drama involving Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, the Patriots and a high-profile reporter claiming to have information on the relationship between the three.
And yet, perhaps the most interesting wrinkle arrived thanks to a random person popping up in a comments section.
On Monday, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe said that making the 2022 Pro Bowl (as an alternate) went to Jones’ head and pumped up his ego. “Making the Pro Bowl and making the NFL Top 100: worst thing that happened to Mac Jones last year,” Volin said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance.
A clip of the segment went viral Tuesday, with many past and current Patriots reporters denouncing Volin’s claims, as well as the way he delivered them.
But Volin doubled down Wednesday during an appearance on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” And that’s when things got particularly weird.
“Someone reached out in my DMs and said, ‘Yeah, Mac, his attitude is obvious in the building and everyone knows it,'” Volin said before adding, “Take that for what it’s worth.”
Volin then backpedaled, saying, “I wouldn’t take it as a report, just someone else chiming in with an opinion.” He also said that his source wasn’t a Patriots reporter but, rather, “someone that would know.” Furthermore, Volin indicated that quarterbacks coach Joe Judge prefers Zappe over Jones.
Have a listen:
John Feitelberg of Barstool Sports then chimed in on Twitter, noting the discrepancy between Volin’s claims and what former Patriots defensive back Jason McCourty said Wednesday morning on NFL Network. In the replies section, a Twitter user with the handle “nolanc79” shared what they claim to be a screen shot of direct messages with Volin.
Here’s a transcript of the alleged exchange:
(Note: There has been no confirmation whether this conversation really took place.)
Twitter user: “Buddy works over at Gillette selling season ticket packages — he heard (the Patriots) went with Hoyer over Zappe against (Green Bay) initially to appease Mac whose camp made it very clear that he didn’t want Zappe to jump in. Thought I’d pass along so the #haters get off your back.”
Volin (allegedly): “Interesting! Appreciate the tip.”
That initial screenshot left a lot of room for doubt, given the information provided didn’t perfectly miffor what Volin said on air, and you. Plus, you couldn’t rule out the possibility of the image being Photoshopped.
However, the user later shared a screen video capture of the messages — likely ruling out the Photoshop theory — while revealing an additional message they allegedly sent to Volin.
“No problem man,” the message reads. “It’s clear as day Mac has an attitude problem and even folks in the building see it daily.”
So, what should we make of all of this?
First of all, if Volin indeed took the information in his DMs and brought it to the radio, the problems with that speak for themselves. That would be a significant issue.
However, we also can’t rule out that Volin in fact received a more credible message from someone else, and simply was being nice to the Twitter user. It would be quite a coincidence, though.
Either way, the whole thing is bizarre and has added yet another layer to the fascinating quarterback controversy involving Zappe and Jones.
Thankfully, we’ll get some real clarity on the Zappe-Jones debate when the Patriots host the Chicago Bears next Monday night.
