Brenden Schooler reacts to hilarious Bill Belichick snub originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Brenden Schooler can't help but laugh at himself for his viral moment with Bill Belichick during Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns.
The New England Patriots' rookie special teamer recovered a muffed punt and attempted to give the ball to his head coach. The look on Belichick's face said it all as he hilariously declined Schooler's gesture.
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Predictably, the awkward exchange quickly became an Internet meme. Schooler shared his side of the story after the 38-15 Pats victory.
“I was just trying to -- it was obviously a big game for him coming back to Cleveland,” Schooler said, per NESN.com. “So, just a nice gesture: ‘Here’s the game ball.’ But I think I was a little too excited and should’ve waited until after.”
Schooler's thought process was understandable as it was a big day for Belichick. The win marked the 324th of his legendary head-coaching career, tying him with George Halas for second all-time. The fact he accomplished the feat against the Browns, who fired him in 1996, was icing on the cake.
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Schooler was asked whether Belichick tying Halas factored into his decision to present him the ball.
“I think it’s a little bit of everything,” Schooler said. “And it’s just like, you know, you obviously want to win on the road especially. It’s a big win on the road for us. It just happened to be in Cleveland this week. So, just trying to, you know, know the situation. But I think I should’ve waited a couple of minutes to go give it to him.”
Despite Belichick's snub, Schooler certainly made his head coach happy with his second muffed punt recovery of the season.
The Patriots will look to earn their third consecutive win next week when they host the Chicago Bears for a Monday Night Football showdown.
