The Dynasty: New England Patriots documentary on Apple+ TV has received a lot of criticism, particularly for the negative portrayal of their former head coach Bill Belichick. The 10-part docuseries has irked several former Patriots players, and Julian Edelman is in the same camp.
Discussing the documentary with Matthew Slater on his podcast Games With Names, Edelman accused former Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker of making up stories about Belichick.
Edelman was referring to Welker's description of Aaron Hernandez fooling around at practices and seemingly getting away without being punished by Belichick.
“Welker’s out here saying like Aaron Hernandez got away with murder - figuratively speaking - at practice, that’s not even true,” Edelman said at the 16:30 mark. “Welker painted the picture he was like the king, like he got to do anything. I remember Bill motherf--k-ng Aaron all the time. Come on, Welk. Trying to make up stories. We know you don’t like Bill.”
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Matthew Slater, who was the guest on the recent episode, did not comment on Julian Edelman's take on Wes Welker. The 10-time Pro Bowler said he had "love" for Welker, to which Edelman doubled down on his comments.
“I love him, too. But you could clearly tell he hates Bill,” Edelman said.
Matthew Slater joins in criticism of "The Dynasty" documentary
On Tuesday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft said he was "disappointed" with the documentary for focusing on controversies and "challenging moments." Matthew Slater is the latest former Patriot to join in to critique the documentary.
"I know there are some comments that I made on there that made it seem like Bill was just this very demanding presence - and he was. But I also want people to see that there are multiple sides of Bill, right?" Slater said on the Games With Names podcast at the 13:37 mark.
"And it's tough because I feel like he's being portrayed in a certain light. And we're painting a picture, but we're only showing people part of the picture."
Slater explained that it was complex with the coach and added that The Dynasty would not be talked about if there was no Bill Belichick.
"But let's make sure none of us forget the fact that the dynasty is not even being talked about without Bill Belichick," he said. "And the things that he did were with intentionality and purpose, and I think he got the best out of all of us."
Although Belichick took blows through "The Dynasty" documentary, numerous former Patriots players coming to defend their coach shows they have the highest regard for him.
Slater retired in February 2024 after spending 16 seasons in the NFL, all with the New England Patriots. Considered one of the greatest gunners in the league, Slater won three Super Bowls with the team.
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