Stevan Ridley did not arrive with a lot of expectations when the Patriots selected him in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft. His introduction to the NFL was anything but smooth—head coach Bill Belichick immediately sent him to what Ridley called “fat camp,” believing the rookie was 20 pounds overweight. But it did not take long for Ridley to earn not only Belichick’s trust but also help the Pats maintain their undefeated record at Wembley Stadium, London.

After their historic 35-7 win over the Buccaneers in 2009, three years later in 2012, New England arrived in Old England to keep their streak alive. While Ridley had already become a crucial part of Belichick’s system by that time, the former RB faced an unusual problem that nearly cost the Patriots the game.

Unlike most NFL stadiums, Wembley has a natural grass surface. And to play in such conditions, players were required to wear certain Nike seven-stud cleats to prevent slipping. Belichick simply asked all players to wear those cleats to start the game. However, since Ridley was an Under Armour athlete, switching the cleats was not even an option until the head coach forced him to. Recently, when Stevan appeared on the Dudes on Dudes podcast with his then-teammate Rob Gronkowski, the former RB recounted that encounter with Belichick and how he had to pay a fine to play the London game.

“What do you want me to do?” he growled. “Under Armour doesn’t even make seven studs.” But Belichick, unmoved by sponsorship deals, refused to bend. “He says, ‘Put on some seven studs.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know what you want.’ I said, ‘All right, coach. Look, it’s all good. If you pay the fine from Under Armour, I’m going to wear these Nike seven studs. If not, I’m gonna lose everything I got. Like I say, I’m third round. I ain’t got no money, but I have an endorsement,’” Ridley explained. Defiant, he took the field in his usual cleats—until a costly slip at the goal line and another stern reminder from Belichick finally forced his hand.

“Bills was like, ‘Just put on the f——g cleats,'” Ridley remembered. “So, he did it to me, and I spat those jokers up. Went out there in the second half, and I was just running so mad—this is gross. But basically, I was just trying to be a smart businessman and protect my endorsement. And it cost my a*s a couple yards, a couple benchings, some lashings, getting cussed out. But hey, it’s old school.”

Reflecting on his performance, that slip near the goal line hardly defined Stevan’s night. Teaming up with Tom Brady, he played a major role in securing yet another dominant win for the Patriots in London. Rushing for 127 yards on just 15 carries with a touchdown, Ridley posted an outstanding 8.5-yard average.

“The offensive line figured it out up front, and any time you start a game, there is a defensive game plan, and that’s what we do a great job of — making the proper adjustments,” Ridley explained the game plan after the win. Two years later, after winning the Super Bowl with the Pats in 2014, Stevan parted ways with New England and went on to play for the Falcons and Steelers before ultimately hanging up his cleats after the 2018 season.