Former New England Patriots running back Sony Michel took a hilarious jab at his former team when recounting a 2018 NFL draft story.
Michel was taken in the first round with the 31st overall pick, but his experience with the Patriots, as opposed to other first-round draft picks, was drastically different.
“The crazy thing about it, this is so Patriots, right?” Michel said during an appearance on the “The Money Down Podcast”, as transcribed by NESN.com’s Sean T. McGuire. “So I get drafted, first round. And I’m watching every other first-round (pick), Calvin Ridley get drafted first round, and them boys send a jet, every team send those boys a jet. Everybody got a jet.
“Not lying, they put me on a Southwest flight. You got to pick your seat, yeah, you pick your seat. So I was just like, ‘Man, I couldn’t even get the experience on the jet.’”
Michel managed to carve himself out a respectable career in New England, winning a Super Bowl and spending three seasons with the organization.
All told, he recorded 2,992 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns with the Patriots. He then played two years in Los Angeles—once for the Rams in 2021 and another year for the Chargers, before hanging up the cleats following the 2022 season.
The Patriots under Bill Belichick were always known to take a business-first approach. Luxury obviously wasn’t part of the equation, and Michel got to see that firsthand.
