‘I’m sorry, coach’: Justin Turner jokingly apologizes to Bill Belichick for being a fan of another AFC East team
Turner, who is a Dolphins fan, joined the Red Sox this past offseason after exchanging text messages with the Patriots coach.
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Although Justin Turner is a member of the Red Sox, the player’s NFL fandom isn’t with the Patriots.
Turner, a California native, admitted in an interview with Peacock’s Ahmed Fareed and Jensen Lewis that he’s a Dolphins fan and began rooting for the Patriots’ divisional foe began when he was 10 years old.
“The Rams and Raiders both left LA,” Turner said ahead of Sunday’s Red Sox game. “At the time, this movie came out that was pretty popular called ‘Ace Ventura.’ So, a fan of Snowflake, a fan of the Dolphins, huge fan of Dan Marino. I got to meet him a couple times.
“I got to say, Bill Belichick was part of the recruiting process to come up here to Boston. I just didn’t have it in me to tell him I was a Dolphins fan. So, if he’s watching right now, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, coach.”
Though former Dodgers and Red Sox teammate Kiké Hernández did a lot of the recruiting work to bring Turner to Boston over the offseason, Belichick appeared to aid the process, too.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora had the longtime New England head coach text Turner when he was still a free agent. Although it isn’t known what that text consisted of, it can be assumed that it had an impact on the 38-year-old’s decision to sign in Boston.
Cora and Belichick have had each other’s phone numbers since the 2021 ALCS. The Patriots’ coach was also seen wearing a Red Sox hat in a Fenway Park booth alongside then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in August 2018. Belichick openly praised the way Boston around the same time he attended a game.
Luckily for Turner, his Dolphins have had New England’s number as of late. Since 2020, Miami has been victorious against the Patriots four times in six games. The Dolphins swept the Patriots in 2021 for the first time since 2000 and eliminated New England from playoff contention in 2020 during their Week 15 matchup.
Though the Patriots host Miami on Sunday, Sept. 17, Turner won’t get a chance to see his team as the Red Sox visit the Blue Jays in Toronto that same day. New England visits the Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 29, which lands on a World Series off day. Time will tell if the Miami fan will get a chance to see the two square off this season.
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