Why Red Sox’s Justin Turner Apologized To Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

Justin Turner withheld a certain piece of information from Bill Belichick when the two spoke back in the winter.

Belichick was a part of the Turner recruitment contingency put together by the Red Sox when they pursued the two-time All-Star in Major League Baseball free agency. Turner mostly has stayed tight-lipped about his conversations with the Patriots head coach but revealed Belichick hyped up Boston as a sports city and spoke about his friendship with Alex Cora.

But when Belichick chopped it up with Turner, little did he know he was speaking with someone who supports a New England rival. Even though Turner is a California native who played the bulk of his big league career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his NFL fandom resides in the AFC East.

"When I was 10 years old, the Rams and Raiders both left LA," Turner told Peacock's Ahmed Fareed and Jensen Lewis before Sunday's Tigers-Red Sox game at Fenway Park. "At the time, this movie came out that was pretty popular called 'Ace Ventura.' So, a fan of Snowflake, a fan of the Dolphins, huge fan of Dan Marino. I got to meet him a couple times. I got to say, Bill Belichick was part of the recruiting process to come up here to Boston. I just didn't have it in me to tell him I was a Dolphins fan. So, if he's watching right now, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, coach."

If Turner really pushes it, maybe he can attend the Week 2 Dolphins-Patriots primetime game Sept. 17 after the Red Sox visit the Blue Jays for an early afternoon affair in Toronto. However, he probably should avoid the New England sideline if he's decked out in Miami gear.