In a media round before the game between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots, Stephon Gilmore talks about his old love. But the cornerback doesn’t have only praise to offer.

Munich/Charlotte – Stephon Gilmore joined the New England Patriots as a free agent in 2017, and in 2019 the cornerback became Defensive Player of the Year.

In the final months of his contract, however, there were repeated tensions that ultimately culminated in the trade to the Carolina Panthers.

Now “The Gilly Lock” commented on the Patriots’ handling of his offseason injury ahead of the head-to-head clash (on Sunday from 18:00 on the livestream on ran.de).

“Didn’t agree with it “

At the same time, the 31-year-old hints that he could have played sooner. “I wasn’t ready at the beginning of training camp, I’ll be honest with you. But the way the Patriots handled it, I didn’t like it,” Gilmore criticised. A hamstring injury had already put him out of action by the end of the 2020 season.

“A lot of things happened that I didn’t agree with. But now I’m here and I can do the things to get me back to my best,” Gilmore continued. “In the end, the Patriots made a business decision, it’s a business. We made the best decision for each other. “

Lots of praise for Bill Belichick

But Gilmore wasn’t just about dishing it out, he was full of praise for his former coach Bill Belichick in particular: “He’s a great coach. He always does everything he can to help his team win.”

The 69-year-old had helped Gilmore in many ways: “He taught me a lot about football. He made me a better player and helped me in a lot of ways. “

Now Gilmore appears to be back to his best, catching the game-winning interception in his Panthers’ 19-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Against his former team, the cornerback will want to show a similarly good performance.