Tom Brady wouldn’t exactly set the record straight on his relationship with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. But during an interview with Howard Stern on SiriusXM, Brady did insinuate that he and Belichick did not part ways on bad terms this offseason when the quarterback decided to leave the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I think he has a lot of loyalty,” Brady said Wednesday morning with SiriusXM. “I think he and I have had a lot of conversations that nobody’s ever been privy to and nor should they be. So many wrong assumptions were made about our relationship or how he felt about me. I know genuinely how he feels about me. Now, I’m not going to respond to every rumor or assumption that’s made other than what his responsibility is as Coach is to try to get the best player for the team not only in the short term but in the long term, as well. What I could control was trying to be the best I could be in both of those situations also.
“I got into uncharted territory as an athlete because I started to break the mold of what so many other athletes had experienced. So, I got to a point where I was an older athlete, and he started to plan for the future which is what his responsibility is. And I don’t fault him for that. That’s what he should be doing. That’s what every coach should be doing. Not that I would ever coach, but if I’m ever in a position of authority, I would understand that too. I recognize that. We’ve talked about it.”
It sounds like both Belichick and Brady were realistic and business-like in their decision to part ways. Brady made his announcement on March 17, but he said in his interview with Stern that he knew before training camp in 2019 that he would likely leave New England. That doesn’t mean Brady holds resentment against Belichick.
“Absolutely not,” Brady told SiriusXM. “No, because this is a part for me, in my life, to experience something very different. There are ways for me to grow and evolve in a different way that I haven’t had the opportunity to do — that aren’t right or wrong, but just right for me.”
The drama between Brady and Belichick goes back a few years, most notably in Jan 18 when ESPN published a report about a fraying relationship between the two superstars. More drama ensued around Brady’s business partner and body coach, Alex Guerrero, who Belichick and the Patriots briefly banned from the stadium. It seemed, however, in 2019 that Brady and Belichick had come to better terms in what seems likely to be their final year of work together.
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