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Former Patriots lineman says he purposely got into car crash to avoid Bill Belichick's ire for being late

If you ever find yourself running late for work, don't take advice from former New England Patriots lineman Rich Ohrnberger. Instead of facing Bill Belichick's wrath, Ohrnberger decided to purposely get into a car crash when he was running late to practice.

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Ohrnberger relayed the story on his radio show Thursday. It all started when Ohrnberger's phone died in the middle of the night. His alarm never went off, leading him to wake up late. Ohrnberger rushed to his car, but realized on his drive he was going to be 10 minutes late for a team meeting.

Fearing he would be cut for tardiness, Ohrnberger purposely crashed into another car so he could present Belichick with a valid excuse for being late.

Ohrnberger said he didn't hit the car — which was a church van — hard. But he needed to hit it hard enough to cause a dent in his own car so he could provide the Patriots with evidence of the crash. Ohrnberger said he gave his insurance information and some money to the driver of the van before leaving for practice.

Ohrnberger said he spoke to Belichick's assistant and waited in the offensive linemen's meeting room until the full team meeting concluded. The first person Ohrnberger saw was offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, who seemed to know exactly what was going on. Scarnecchia reportedly told Ohrnberger his stunt may fly elsewhere, but to be on time from now on.

Ohrnberger did not specify when the incident took place. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft and spent three seasons with the team. He was placed on IR by the team in 2011 and did not play in a game. The Patriots cut Ohrnberger in 2012.

Following his release, Ohrnberger went on to play three more seasons in the NFL, one with the Arizona Cardinals and two with the San Diego Chargers.

Rich Ohrnberger with the Patriots.
Rich Ohrnberger (60) spent three seasons with the Patriots. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)