Nov 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; A New England Patriots helmet sits idle before the game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots were docked two days of organized team activities on Wednesday due to a violation of league rules. Pro Football Talk had the details on the nature of the violation:

• “Per a source with knowledge of the situation, it was a meeting violation. According to the source, an observer from the NFL Players Association believed that one of the optional early offseason meetings was a violation, because the 15-minute meeting in question (a special-teams session) was made visible on the internal schedule.”

• Zolak and Bertrand reacted to the news during Thursday’s show, wondering where the “leak” inside the building came from:

• Is there a “rat” within the walls of Gillette Stadium?

   

  “You want me to believe that an NFLPA observer came in and was no going over the offseason may schedule?!,” Beetle said.

  “Somebody complained. Somebody said, ‘we’re doing too much crap here this offseason’

  “What I think is that there’s a rat and that’s how this stuff begins with a complaint. And that’s when they look into things with a complaint. I don’t think that it was the NFLPA looking to nail the Patriots or anything like that. 

  “Someone bitched on that team and I think that’s a problem and reflects poorly on the group and this roster somebody complained that there’s just too much work going on.” 

• 

  FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 19: Jake Bailey #7 of the New England Patriots looks on before the preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on August 19, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

  Zolak and Bertrand wonder who the ‘rat’ is…

  A listener named “Rob” on Twitter sent one guess…

  “Could Jake Bailey have tipped off the PA? Does he go to someone and say, Hey, they did this year, a year ago. Watch for this. And then Rob said, maybe Jake Bailey heard about it from a friend on the team and sent a message.”

• 

  Oct 24, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones (13) celebrates during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

   

  “The other player that was sort of dealing with something on this front as it relates to contract and stuff was Jack Jones.”, said Beetle. 

  “Jake Bailey and Jack Jones on the same day got moved to the reserved / injured list. He’s got a gripe. He filed a grievance. And Jack Jones, his agent, came out and said, ‘that’s a miscommunication.’ Bert Breer had reported at the time that Jack Jones had openly challenged Bill Belichick. While being late to or missing rehab sessions. And then got into it with Bill about that. Jack Jones played some special teams last year. I don’t know. Maybe that’s something he told his agent.” 

• LISTEN: Zolak and Bertrand discuss the Patriots losing two OTA’s for violations

• Listen to Zolak & Bertrand from 10-2 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Marc “Beetle” Bertrand, Scott Zolak, and Rob “Hardy” Poole. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @ZoAndBertrand on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the show!

Get The 98.5 The Sports Hub Newsletter Delivered To Your Inbox

Stay up to date with the latest Boston sports news and analysis, local events, exclusive contests, and more.

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.