The Patriots’ dynasty during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick days was one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. They won six Super Bowls and went three others during their 20 years together as QB and coach.
By now we all know things weren’t always that great behind the scenes with the Patriots during that time. That’s just how life goes, especially in the NFL world where you’re always under a microscope and winning means everything.
ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham has a new book coming out next month about the Patriots called “It’s Better to Be Feared” that has some juicy stuff about Brady and Belichick’s final years together.
But it also has this wild story about Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly calling Belichick some nasty words.
Check this out, via ESPN:
“As for Kraft, in late September, he was in Aspen [Colorado] for a conference and bumped into a few friends in the hotel lobby early one morning. He told them he was leaving later for Detroit, where the Patriots were playing their next game. ‘I hate leaving here,’ Kraft said. ‘You leave here and you leave some of the most brilliant people you’ve ever met. You pick up so much knowledge from all these brilliant minds. And I have to go to Detroit to be with the biggest f—–ng a–hole in my life — my head coach.’ ”
“Bill was an idiot savant,” Kraft told a confidant, according to the book, alluding to Belichick’s reputation before he hired the former Cleveland Browns coach in 2000. “I gave him this opportunity.”
That is SOMETHING.
There was also stuff in the book about Brady wanting out in 2017 and wanting to talk to Belichick in person about it but the coach didn’t want to meet up in person, instead he asked for a phone call with Brady, which annoyed the QB.
The Patriots had no response to ESPN for the story they published today but it will be interesting to see if they have anything to say once the book comes out. I doubt they will, because that’s the Patriots way, but still, this looks like it’s going to be quite the read.
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