From Sally Jenkins and Rick Maese (link):
I'm not familiar with the details of the Gill situation, though I know he parted ways with the Patriots on less than good terms.
The NFL Players Association, in a court document recently filed in an unrelated case, alleged that a team physician for the New England Patriots altered the medical treatment of a player in an effort to bolster a legal case that would force the player to return his signing bonus to the team. A grievance letter sent by the players’ union cites an e-mail from former team physician Thomas Gill that the NFLPA contends shows Gill telling Patriots owner Robert Kraft and President Jonathan Kraft that he was “trying to put together a case” that would compel former defensive end Jonathan Fanene to return $3.85 million after he suffered a knee injury in 2012. The letter further asserts that Patriots Coach Bill Belichick directed Gill to delay any surgery on Fanene’s knee while an effort was made to persuade the player to retire, thus forgoing his bonus.
In its grievance letter, the players’ union alleged that Gill initially scheduled Fanene for arthroscopic surgery to treat a knee injury. However, he subsequently “took the direction of Head Coach Bill Belichick” to “play four corner offense” (a metaphorical reference to a stalling tactic in basketball) and delay any surgery, and “ultimately Dr. Gill refused to do the surgery at all,” advising Fanene that if he wanted the surgery, he should use his personal physician.
Gill also confirmed receiving such direction in an e-mail from Belichick but said he was unclear on what Belichick meant.
“Coach Belichick sent an e-mail that said something about ‘let’s play some four corners here,’ which I think had to do with the timing,” Gill said. “It’s vague to me at this point. . . .
“He was saying let’s slow this process down till we can figure out what’s going on with Jonathan. Coach was talking about a day or two of trying to figure things out.”
He said the directive “had zero effect” on his treatment of Fanene. “There was never any care withheld or anything like that.”
I'm not familiar with the details of the Gill situation, though I know he parted ways with the Patriots on less than good terms.