FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Demaryius Thomas felt disrespected by the New England Patriots when he was traded to the Jets, telling the New York Daily News that the team was dishonest with him before shipping him off.
Coach Bill Belichick responded to Thomas on Thursday when asked if he regretted how the situation played out.
“Yeah, look, Demaryius is a great kid,” Belichick said. “I have a ton of respect for him, he’s very professional and he did everything we asked him to do. Our circumstances changed a couple times in that period leading up to when he was traded so I felt like I was always truthful with him, but things change and therefore what I said was not the same as what I said previously. It is what it is.”
The 31-year-old, five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was originally signed by New England after suffering from a torn Achilles last winter. The Patriots allowed him to get healthy, but cut him on Aug. 31 assuring him there would be a spot for him if he stuck around.
Thomas chose not to sign elsewhere. After N’Keal Harry was placed on the injured reserve, Thomas was re-signed, but traded once the prospect of signing Antonio Brown presented itself.
“It was insulting, for sure,” Thomas said. “Once I got cut (on Aug. 31), I could have just come (to the Jets) and not stayed there to re-sign. When they re-signed me, I was thinking that I was good. Two weeks later, I was gone. So, it’s like, ‘Why did I waste my time?’
“Because at the end of the day, it was kind of a waste of time for me.”
Thomas added that he felt like he was kicked to the curb and “shipped out like a rookie” when he was traded to the Jets for a sixth-round pick to free up some money.
• New England receiver Josh Gordon, who suffered a knee injury in Thursday’s win over the Giants, was absent from the portion practice viewable to the media for the second time this week.
• Coach Bill Belichick steered clear of all talk about Michael Bennett’s suspension.
Asked about his one-week suspension, Belichick declined to respond.
“I’m not going to comment on any player’s personal situation,” Belichick said.
JETS: Linebacker C.J. Mosley sais he would play on Monday against the Patriots.
“I’m playing Monday night,” he declared Thursday. “Unless I get hurt or something.”
Mosley has been sidelined since injuring his groin during the third quarter of the Jets’ season-opening loss to Buffalo.
CHARGERS: Offensive tackle Russell Okung took part in his first practice Thursday since June 1, when he suffered a pulmonary embolism during an offseason workout.
“I definitely looked death right in the face and if it had not been for a family that cared from my well-being despite my own resistance, I might not be here right now,” Okung said.
He is being treated for blood clots and has been on the non-football injury list. Okung does not need to be added to the active roster for up to three weeks as he continues to work his way back.
RAIDERS: Oakland defensive coordinator Paul Guenther lashed out at the NFL for the lengthy suspension the league handed to linebacker Vontaze Burfict for a helmet-to-helmet hit, one of a series of violations.
Burfict was suspended for the final 12 games of the regular season and the playoffs for the hit to the head of Indianapolis tight end Jack Doyle. It was longest suspension ever handed down by the league for an on-field infraction.
“I think it was a witch hunt from the beginning quite honestly,” Guenther said. “Somebody at the league didn’t want him playing football and they got what they wanted.”
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