Jim McMahon played for Bill Belichick for a very brief period of time toward the end of the former NFL quarterback’s career. That was long enough for McMahon to develop a hatred for the New England Patriots head coach.
During an interview with “The Dan Patrick Show” on Friday, McMahon was asked if he cares about the Deflategate scandal at all. He took the opportunity to bash Belichick and tell a story about how Belichick supposedly lied to him 20 years ago.
“I was with Bill in Cleveland in 1995 and he lied right to my face, so I never trusted him after that,” McMahon said. “All this stuff that happens, I’m sure he’s right in the middle of it.”
McMahon went on to explain that he moved to Cleveland assuming he had a job with the Browns but was later waived. Belichick told McMahon he would still be paid, but the one-time Chicago Bear says he never saw the money.
“In ’95 all (the Browns) had was Vinny Testaverde and they had just drafted a kid out of Georgia,” McMahon said. “(Belichick) told me they were gonna have to release me after training camp and I said, ‘That’s fine.’ I really wanted to be in Cleveland. He said, ‘No, no we really want you here. We’re gonna take care of you. You might have to sit out one or two weeks.’
“He said they were gonna pay me. I ended up sitting out seven weeks and I still haven’t gotten paid. I told him, ‘Look, don’t screw me around. If I’m gonna be here I have my family here, I have to find a hockey team for my sons.’ There’s a lot going on. I wouldn’t have moved to Cleveland just to move to Cleveland.
McMahon wound up playing just one game with the Green Bay Packers that season, which turned out to be his last in the NFL. The two-time Super Bowl champion obviously holds a very personal grudge against Belichick, but he isn’t convinced The Hoodie had nothing to do with Deflategate.
“I know he’s a liar,” McMahon said. “Cheating ain’t far behind, I would think.”
McMahon is always good for a few soundbites anytime someone can get an interview with him — remember these comments about the BYU Honor Code? It should be noted that there are plenty of guys who have played for Belichick and have nothing but good things to say about him. From the sound of it, McMahon found out the hard way that football is a cruel business.
Here’s the portion of McMahon’s interview when he went off on Belichick:
