Boston media exaggerates Belichick's answers on Mac Jones
When people write about their opinion, the expectation is that they will use stats and facts that support their opinion, and either leave out or discredit any stats that favor their opposition. Sometimes they will completely ignore context if it helps their case. The tidal waive of misinformation that followed Bill Belichick’s press conference Sunday however is over the line and despicable. Shame on the Boston media.
The questions were going to be asked after their 38-3 drubbing, courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys. Mac Jones was yanked from the game in the third quarter and replaced with backup Bailey Zappe. Zappe did not do anything to wow the fans, but the situation was going to be talked about. After all, it was not the first time Mac Jones has looked completely awful behind center for the New England Patriots. There was the Eagles game that he cost them, his barely average start against the Miami Dolphins, and his entire 2022 season.
When the questions came, Bill deflected them as usual. Using a carbon copy of his “We are on to Cincinnati,” presser, the mantra repeated over and over Sunday was, “I didn’t think there was any point in leaving him in the game.”
How the media twisted the facts
How did the Boston media report the story? Multiple headlines flooded the internet about how Bill Belichick confirmed that Mac Jones was still the starter. He did nothing of the sort. He didn’t even come close to saying that. So why would so many outlets say that he did? While sometimes people ignore context, in this case, the media overemphasized the importance of context, thanks to Mac Jones' PR Team no doubt.
When asked the question, “Will he (Mac Jones) be starting next week against the Saints?” Belichick replied with, “Yeah, I just said there was no point in leaving him in the game.” The way the media chose to interpret the question, at least in the dozens of headlines it rushed to press, was with a non-existent pause. “Yeah...I just said there was no point in leaving him in the game.”
They used the fact that he used “yeah” as a sentence starter to get the public to think that he was replying in the affirmative to the question, when he actually wasn’t, and anybody watching the press conference could hear the truth. If he had answered, “Yeah, I’m not answering that,” the media still would have reported to the masses that he said yes.
Later in the conference, he was asked if the Judon and Gonzalez injuries were serious, he answered, “Yeah, we’ll see.” So does that mean yes they are serious, or we’ll see if they are serious? Some people start a sentence with “um” and Belichick started several answers with “yeah”. Yeah was not his actual answer, and reporting as such is lazy and irresponsible. I’m disappointed in the media, and they should be disappointed in themselves.,