Since Bill Belichick was let go by the Patriots two years ago, the relationship between the team and the UNC head coach has been anything but good. It's clear that there are some ill feelings toward Robert Kraft and the organization, and he makes that apparent nearly every time he talks about his former team.
The same complicated feelings could be said about his relationship with Tom Brady, who unexpectedly left the Patriots after the 2019 season, and, as a result, Belichick was largely blamed by fans and even Kraft.
So over the years, Belichick hasn't had much positive to say about the Patriots, especially Brady, other than generic pleasantries about how great a player he was and the impact he had not only on his team but the NFL.
Shockingly, however, during a recent interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Belichick had much more to say about Brady's departure and the success he went on to have with the Bucs, even going so far as to praise him for leaving the Patriots when he did.
That is the first time he's ever said anything close to something like that.
Bill Belichick's latest Tom Brady admission just shocked every Patriots fan
Although there was a strong belief that Brady would never leave the Patriots under any circumstances, and it was shocking when he announced his decision, many fans understood his decision, given how the team looked in his final season.
They weren't a team equipped to win, and it seemed clear Belichick wasn't willing to do all that it took to build a Super Bowl-winning roster, which is why the quarterback left for greener grass in Tampa Bay.
From the various retirements of some of the most prominent players during the dynasty to Belichick's reluctance to make big-time signings or trades, the roster was in shambles, and that's something the former head coach finally admitted, while also stating Brady made the right decision to leave New England.
"It wouldn’t have gone well in 2020 in New England. On this, I can guarantee that. We put everything we had into the '19 season, including paying him a lot of money at the end of the year without anything for it. There was no first right of refusal, there was no franchise tag, nothing.
And so we all understood that there was a good chance he would leave. And I think he made a great career decision, obviously. I wish we could have done more, but we went as far as we could. And look, he proved it – he played longer than anybody, played at a higher level than anybody. And again, tremendous credit to him. Nobody else did that – that was him."
It would be fair to say that almost no one was expecting this to ever come out of Belichick's mouth, mostly because there is somewhat of an admission that he didn't do enough to keep the quarterback around longer.
He falls just short of taking any real blame, but this is arguably the closest he's ever gotten to sharing his fault in the situation. And unfortunately for him, Patriots fans won't ever let him forget.
Regardless, it was a fascinating interview for Belichick to give, and maybe the more time he has away from the NFL and the Patriots, the more honest answers we'll hear from him. It's obvious that things near the end of Brady's tenure, and even Belichick's, could have gone much better, and how he will eventually discuss those situations will be some of the best intel we could ever get.
This feels like just the start of what he might eventually share.
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