Shortly before the Patriots took on the Bills Monday night, there was a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media that Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon would be benched for the early part of the game as punishment for being late.
That report was followed by others that indicated Gordon was late for a team meeting as well as the team bus to the airport for the flight to Buffalo for Monday’s game, but no punishment materialized. When the Patriots offense took the field in the first quarter, Gordon was one of the 11 players on the field and he wound up playing 64-of-78 offensive snaps in the 25-6 victory.
After the game, head coach Bill Belichick said he didn’t know anything about the report.
“Yeah, I don’t know,” Belichick said, via NESN.com. “You’d have to ask whoever wrote that. I have no idea.”
Gordon referred questions to Belichick while adding that he “was available, so that’s a plus.” Gordon caught four passes for 42 yards in his fifth game with the Patriots.