Tom Brady tells Patriots who to blame for why he left New England

When Tom Brady made the heartbreaking announcement to Patriots fans that he would not be returning to the team after the 2019 season, there was a lot of debate about what led to him making that unthinkable decision. There had been plenty of rumors speculating the reason, with most of the blame being put on Bill Belichick.

But not much had been said from those involved regarding what caused the quarterback to leave the team he spent over two decades making iconic.

Of course, because the initial reaction was to blame Belichick for the entire situation, plenty of reports suggested Robert Kraft was not pleased with the whole thing. Some even revealed that the owner had begged Brady to stay during a tearful conversation at his home.

Since then, and even more so with the recent events of this offseason, nearly everything has been confirmed that there was a lot of tension behind the scenes between the main pillars of the dynasty. And now Brady has spoken for himself regarding the situation, revealing what many have believed was the explanation for his departure.

It was Belichick.

In the upcoming docuseries "The Dynasty" that will debut this Friday on Apple TV+, the quarterback discusses what led to him leaving the Patriots in 2020, confirming what most fans have believed all along. Chad Graff of The Athletic transcribed what was said in a series overview on Wednesday morning.

“Me and Coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together. But I wasn’t going to sign another contract (in New England) even if I wanted to play until (I was) 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign up for more of it.”

Although it's what most have been thinking was the truth throughout the last four years, it isn't something you want to be proven right about.

Plenty had been made about Belichick allegedly not wanting to pay Brady what he was worth, despite him taking hometown discounts for the majority of his career.

And there were rumors stemming back years that the head coach wanted to move on from the quarterback even before he was 40 years old, allegedly using data to show the downfall of quarterbacks as they aged. Yet Brady had shown zero signs of decline. In fact, he was playing some of the best football of his career the older he got.

Because he almost certainly knew about Belichick's desires to replace him, then being told he wouldn't get the contract he wanted is likely what put Brady over the edge, ultimately deciding to leave before the 2019 season even began.

It's common for good things not to last forever, and fortunately, we witnessed greatness in New England for over 20 years. That gratefulness will never waiver, but it's hard not to question what could have happened if Brady had stayed through the end of his career, especially since he went on to win the Super Bowl with the Bucs the following season.

He could have done that with the Patriots. We could have seen him officially retire as a Patriot, something we always thought would happen anyway. But Belichick's stubborn ways robbed fans of that and Brady confirming that almost makes the entire thing worse.

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