Patriots Leader Lauds Bill Belichick For Isaiah Bolden Injury Reaction

Matthew Slater believed Bill Belichick handled a difficult situation perfectly Saturday night.

The New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers agreed not to play the final 10:29 of their preseason matchup at Lambeau Field after rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden was carted off the field with an injury.

While Bolden was being loaded onto the cart, Belichick could be seen conferring with Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Slater and referee John Hussey. Shortly thereafter, Hussey announced the game would not resume, ending in a 21-17 Patriots win.

Slater, New England’s longtime special teams captain, said he was thankful for how Belichick reacted to Bolden’s injury, calling it “tremendous leadership” and one of his “proudest moments” as a Patriot.

“I really appreciate what Coach Belichick did,” Slater told reporters in Green Bay. “He took the initiative on that. Look, this is not the AFC Championship. We’re not playing for records. It’s preseason Game 2. When you have an injury like that, it affects a lot of guys in a lot of different ways. Clearly, our team was shaken by what happened, and I think Coach made the right decision.

“I think that was tremendous leadership by him. I have to say honestly, that was one of the proudest moments I’ve had as a guy who’s played for him for now 16 years, to see what he did. There was no hesitation. And I appreciate Coach LaFleur, as well, for standing with him. I think everybody acted swiftly, and it was the right call in this situation.”

Quarterback Mac Jones echoed Slater, adding that neither team had a desire to finish the game.

“I think Coach Belichick just really did a good job there talking with Slater and the leadership of the team,” Jones told reporters. “Obviously, (he) handled the situation. Him and Slater did a great job in the locker room, just talking to the team like he always does. He tries to bring us together. It’s all real emotion. We really appreciate him and Slater and those leaders on our team who can bring us together during a tough time. I thought that was smart.”

Bolden, a seventh-round draft pick out of Jackson State, suffered the injury when he collided with teammate Calvin Munson in pass coverage. The Patriots released a statement saying the 23-year-old had movement in his extremities and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

“I appreciate the way the league handled it,” Belichick said of the decision to halt the game. “I think that was the right thing to do.”