Patriots erase another reminder of Bill Belichick from Gillette Stadium

Despite the seemingly caring and respectful relationship seen during the press conference to announce his departure, things were reportedly not so swell behind closed doors between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft.

Things are said to have been tense for a while, with years of frustration and disappointment leading to the ultimate breakup of the two most accomplished head coaches and owners in the NFL. It went beyond the unfortunate and ill-timed announcement of Tom Brady leaving New England, making the eventual breakup beyond the peak of contention in their working relationship.

Since that press conference, subtle and not-so-subtle jabs have been taken at the former head coach by Kraft and even Belichick's successor, Jerod Mayo. It has been met with a flurry of reactions from fans, most of whom are not too fond of the constant negativity surrounding Belichick to presumably make the team owner look like the good guy.

It came to a head with the Apple TV+ docuseries "The Dynasty" that concluded last month, but the hits on Belichick appear to be continuing even after those adverse reactions.

Patriots erase another reminder of Bill Belichick from Gillette Stadium

One of the most famous and embraced mantras during the Belichick era in New England was the simple phrase, "Do your job." It was a saying that fans and players alike grabbed onto and lived by, making it one of the more recognizable phrases in the NFL over the last two decades.

It was put on merchandise, posters made by fans at games, and even painted around Gillette Stadium to remind everyone of the importance of being a team player.

But that is said to be no more at Gillette Stadium, according to the latest rumors out of Foxboro. It's the latest installment of what appears to be an active effort to rid the team of the most successful era in the history of the team to create a new atmosphere in what has been long considered an "unfun" place to work.

If this had been the first move the Patriots had made to usher in the new era in Foxboro, that would be one thing. But this is just the latest move on a long list of decisions to what appears to be erasing Belichick from the building altogether.

Maybe things weren't so peachy at the end between Belichick and Kraft; that would be understandable after a nearly quarter-century partnership. But the head coach was a significant part in bringing unfathomable success to a team that had otherwise fallen into obscurity, making it seem disrespectful to pretend he never existed.

It's already something not sitting right with fans, even those who were ready to move on from Belichick after the 2023 season. So, if more efforts are made to erase him from the franchise even more, it could bring long-term repercussions to the team as they hope to turn a new leaf this upcoming season.

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