The Patriots’ punishment of two lost OTA practices and a $50,000 fine for head coach Bill Belichick for an improperly-scheduled special teams meeting drew a wide range of reactions on social media. Perhaps the funniest though came from a former member of the organization.

That long-time member is Devin McCourty, who announced his retirement earlier this offseason after 13 NFL seasons. No longer a member of the team, McCourty weighed in on the biggest storyline surrounding them on Twitter on Friday morning.

• The setup is Thursday night, when McCourty attended the Celtics’ Game 5 win over the Heat with long-time special teams captain Matthew Slater. The two were shown on the video board during a timeout, and the clip was shared on Twitter.

  Friday morning, McCourty shared the clip with the caption “taking advantage of Slate’s extra days off LOL” referencing the Patriots’ lost practice time.

• Taking advantage of Slate’s extra days off LOL https://t.co/EWjUPsZltA

  — Devin McCourty (@devinmccourty) May 26, 2023

• That kind of wit will help McCourty in his next role – it was announced earlier this week he’ll be joining NBC’s Football Night in America as a studio analyst. He’s showing right away he won’t pull any punches when discussing his former team.

  With so many former Patriots in the media it’s not unusual to see former stars criticize the team. In 2019, Rodney Harrison – who is also at NBC – shared that Bill Belichick once told him, in regards to his media career, “Look, if you guys have to criticize me, I understand it. You have a job to do.” When the team makes mistakes – as they did in this case – it’s now part of the job for McCourty to talk about it.

  Meanwhile, the Patriots will get back to practice on Wednesday after their two canceled sessions. For more on what to expect, check out our OTA and Minicamp preview.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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