An unexpected storyline has developed out of Trent Brown's absence from the New England Patriots' recent trip to Germany.
Brown didn't travel with the Patriots for their Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts due to an ankle injury and "personal reasons." Prior to that contest, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported on NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Pregame Live that Brown's injury was "legitimate" enough to sideline him and didn't speculate on the personal reason for Brown's absence. On a separate note, however, Breer pointed out that tardiness has been an issue with Brown this season.
"I'm still told he's habitually late to things," Breer said of Brown. " ... That's been a problem over the course of his career and that problem hasn't gone away this year."
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Brown responded to that part of Breer's report after game, posting "What this gotta do with my injury?" on X. But the Patriots lineman didn't stop there. When asked about Breer's reporting Tuesday, Brown sounded off to MassLive's Mark Daniels.
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"That’s bulls---. It’s a bunch of bulls---," Brown told Daniels. "I’m never late. Honestly. I’m one of the first ones in and one of the last ones out of the building.
"If I am late to any meetings or anything, it’s because I’m a grown man and I should be allowed to go to the bathroom. Especially if it’s in between meetings and I’m trying to (go to the bathroom) or if I’m trying to grab something from the training room to be healthier and prepare for practice. It’s a lot of bulls---."
Brown -- who called Breer's report a "smear campaign" -- added that on top of his multiple injuries, he had a death in his family, which prompted him not to travel with the team.
Breer had the chance to respond to Brown's call-out Tuesday night on NBC Sports Boston's Arbella Early Edition.
"I'm going to stand on my reporting here," Breer said, as seen in the video player above. "He's been late to stuff, and he hasn't denied it. He had two chances to deny it.
"... I never said (him being late) had anything to do with his personal matter. In fact, when I said it on TV, I said it had nothing to do with the fact that he wasn't on the trip. The injury was legitimate. But this has been continually a problem with him: He's unreliable."
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For proof, Breer pointed to the fact that Brown has bounced between four teams in the past seven years despite being one of the NFL's most gifted left tackles.
"That's why a wildly talented left tackle playing a premium position in the NFL can never stick in one spot," Breer said. "The Raiders paid him through the nose (in 2019). How long did he last there? There's a reason why a guy at that position with that amount of talent can never stick in one place and is always in contract years.
"I just have to stand on what I said. I know the truth."
Brown has already missed three games due to injury this season, but he's easily the Patriots' best offensive lineman. Brown even boasted to Daniels that he's the team's best offensive player -- and he may be right. So, the reality is that New England will have to accept Brown's punctuality issues if it wants an already-stagnant offense to be even somewhat functional.