Chargers' Asante Cleveland Reveals How Bill Belichick Once Cut Him on Christmas

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is considered as emotionless as it gets in sports, given that he makes decisions based solely on what's best for the team.

People often compare the future Hall of Famer to Scrooge or the Grinch. And for those who never have, they certainly will now.

In an article written by Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, current San Diego Chargers tight end Asante Cleveland recalled a not-so-fond memory of a Christmas past. What was supposed to be a cheery day with family turned out to be a tough one for the young NFL player.

In 2015, Cleveland—in his second year in the league—appeared in four games for New England. While he surely wanted to stick around for the entire season, his time with the Patriots came to a sudden end...on Christmas.

Per Gehlken, Belichick informed the tight end of the news via a phone call during Cleveland's Christmas dinner...at a teammate's house:

"

He was like, "Hey Asante. It's Belichick." He said, "We're going to have to make some roster moves." At that point, I knew what "roster moves" means. It means I'm being moved from the roster. We needed to bring in a cornerback because we were playing the Jets.

He said, "I just want to let you know this is no indication we're moving away from you. We really like you. ... We just need to make this quick transaction." That call ended. I said, "Merry Christmas." I don't know if he heard me. He didn't say it back.

"

Oh.

When you win four Super Bowls as a head coach, you can pretty much do whatever you want. It may seem heartless, but sports are a matter of business.

Some people these days have a hard time staying off their phones, even on holidays. Not Cleveland. The tight end has a new rule thanks to Belichick.

"Phone off on Christmas," Cleveland said, per Gehlken. "It's going to be the new rule I go with for the rest of my life. Only bad news can come. Good news will still be there the next day."