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Former New England Patriots offensive lineman and current iHeartMedia radio host Rich Ohrnberger claims he once crashed his car in order to avoid the wrath of head coach Bill Belichick.
Ohrnberger, who hosts The Hartman & Rich O Show alongside Steve Hartman on XTRA 1360, revealed he once overslept during the day of a Patriots training camp session and feared the stern head coach would cut him.
“I’m five minutes to being officially late, and I’ve got a 15 minute drive ahead of me,” Ohrnberger said during Thursday's (August 4) episode of The Hartman & Rich O Show. “I’m gonna be 10 minutes late for this day. I have this sinking feeling in my stomach like, ‘I’m gonna be cut. [Belichick’s] not gonna have me on this football team come tomorrow. What do I do?’”
Ohrnberger then saw what he described as a "dinged up" church van and decided to ram the vehicle in order to have an excuse to be late for the Patriots' practice.
“I see a church van in front of me that’s all dinged up and it’s got the black smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna hit this car,’” Ohrnberger said while laughing. “… It’s better to pay the insurance than embarrass myself by being late for a Patriots team meeting.”
Ohrnberger said his heart was "pounding with regret and guilt" when he saw an elderly man exit the vehicle and act incredibly sympathetic toward him, instead taking the blame for the crash.
Ohnrberger arrived at the Patriots' facility and managed to keep his job, though he noted that his offensive line coach at the time, Dante Scarnecchia, had his doubts, sarcastically calling him "Speed Racer" and saying "that stuff doesn't work here."
Ohrnberger told the story while addressing the news of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown was arrested on Wednesday (August 3) morning for criminal speeding, which is considered to be a class 3 misdemeanor and could result in up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $500 and/or one year of probation if convicted.
Ohrnberger, a former Penn State standout, was selected by New England at No. 123 overall in the fourth-round of the 2009 NFL Draft and spent three of his six NFL seasons with the franchise, having also played for the Arizona Cardinals and then-San Diego Chargers (2013-14).