FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick knew the questions were coming, but he made an effort to cut them off before they arrived.
"We claimed Michael Floyd yesterday and released Griff [Whalen]," Belichick said to start off his press conference Friday. "I think this is really similar to the Whalen situation last week. [It's] a position we don't have a lot of depth at. Felt that obviously we'd rather work with Floyd at this point in time.
"We're aware of the situation that came up earlier in the week. We'll let that legal situation play out. We'll see how it goes. He's a player we haven't had before so look forward to working with him. We'll see how it goes."
That legal situation Belichick mentioned was Floyd's arrest early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence. The former Cardinals receiver was found unconscious behind the wheel of his running vehicle at a Scottsdale, Arizona intersection, prompting his release and making him available for the Patriots to claim on waivers Thursday.
Floyd was cited for druken driving as a student at Notre Dame in 2011. He was suspended by the team after running a stop sign near the school's South Bend campus and then failed three sobriety tests. A breathalyzer test showed that he had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice Indiana's legal limit. Floyd was also cited for underage drinking in 2009 and 2010.
When asked about Floyd's recent past compared to his DUI arrest in college, Belichick indicated that he felt as though the two situations were different.
"I wouldn't say it was similar at all," he said. "I'm not saying it wasn't [a DUI], but it was quite a different situation. Whatever it is, it is. We're aware of whatever the past is. We'll work forward with the player and see how it goes."
New England Patriots
In terms of becoming comfortable with the idea of signing a player with a history of alcohol-related incidents, Belichick said the team did its research.
"As we always do," he said, "we'll take the information that we have and make what we feel is the best decision for the team."
Part of that information-gathering process could have involved communicating with the coach who recruited Floyd to Notre Dame, former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.
Weis joined WEEI's Kirk and Callahan Show on Friday morning to discuss Floyd's past. Weis relayed that he did not have any input when the Patriots made the decision to claim Floyd -- "They know what I know, they don't need any guidance from me," he said -- but he described his "father-son" relationship with the wideout.
"He's hiding from me right now," Weis said. "Because we would have a father-son kind of talk, and it would not be a good one. This is one of my guys, now. This isn't just a guy I recruited. He's one of my guys. He's had a few problems since I left, and it's all related to the same subject. Right now is not one of those times when he wants to talk to dad, if you know what I'm talking about."
Weis added: "Sooner or later you gotta get control. This guy's a smart guy. His mom is a very strong person so he's got a strong family behind him. This is not some loose cannon right here. It's just a guy who's made some mistakes, but he's really a happy go lucky, smile on his face, hard-working, good football player. He's a good kid."
Still, Belichick acknowledged, Floyd was available for a reason.
"I don't think there's any question," Belichick said, "that if there weren't some certain circumstances, the player probably wouldn't be available."