Bill Belichick Commends NFL For Suspending Patriots-Packers

Bill Belichick and the NFL were on the same page Saturday night.

New England’s preseason game against the Packers was suspended with just over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter after Patriots cornerback Isaiah Bolden suffered a head injury. The Patriots held a 21-17 lead in Green Bay at the time the game was called.

Bolden’s injury occurred as he was trying to make a tackle on Packers receiver Malik Heath. The seventh-round rookie’s helmet collided with teammate Calvin Munson, causing him to drop to the ground motionless. Bolden eventually was loaded onto a stretcher and transported from Lambeau Field to a local hospital — where he had feeling in all of his extremities, according to the Patriots.

As medical personnel attended to Bolden, cameras caught Belichick conversing with special teamer Matthew Slater and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. The decision to suspend the game was announced shortly afterward.

During a postgame news conference, Belichick voiced support for Bolden while praising the NFL for how it handled the situation. New England’s head coach also touched on the devastating wildfires in Hawaii, a tragedy that hits close to home for Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

“I think the situation, in the bigger picture, overrode the game,” Belichick told reporters. “So, all saying a prayer for Isaiah. … Appreciate the way the league handled it. I think that was the right thing to do.

“Also saying a prayer for some of our players with their close friends and relatives in Hawaii that are going through some stuff out there. That’s really the bigger picture of it here. Kind of regroup and talk about the game later.”

“Appreciate the way the league handled it”

Bill Belichick on the NFL suspending Saturday’s game

Whereas Belichick wanted to focus on the NFL’s decision-making, Slater wanted to give credit to his head coach.

“I really appreciate what Coach Belichick did tonight,” Slater told reporters. “He took the initiative on that. … I think Coach made the right decision. That was tremendous leadership by him. I have to say, honestly, that was one of the proudest moments I’ve had as a guy that’s played for him now for 16 years, to see what he did. There was no hesitation.”

Bolden’s injury marks a scary, unfortunate end to what was a productive week in Green Bay for the Patriots. New England played well in both joint practices, especially during Thursday’s statement-delivering session. Mac Jones and the first-team offense also did some good things Saturday night.

“Competitive game,” Belichick said. “Competitive week. Good week against Green Bay. Just Unfortunate what happened there at the end. Hopefully, (Bolden) will be alright.”

New England now will travel directly to Nashville, where the Patriots will meet the Titans for another round of joint practices and a preseason matchup. Follow NESN.com for updates in the days ahead, including the latest on Bolden’s recovery.