Throughout his career with the New England Patriots, there were rumors that Tom Brady did not have a great relationship with head coach Bill Belichick, and those rumors further ignited when Brady left the team to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers toward the end of his career. But some recent comments from Brady should put all of that speculation to rest.
During an interview with ESPN for SportsCenter this week, Tom Brady opened up about his relationship with Bill Belichick, revealing that he “was very fortunate” to be able to play for Belichick and that the two “have a lot of mutual respect.”
“He very much trusted what I was out there doing in the field, and it went both ways. Ultimately our success was because so many people in the organization, as coach Belichick always said, ‘do your job,’ and I did as quarterback and leader,” Brady told ESPN.
Brady went as far as to say that there was rarely any conflict between them.
“Were there times where you know it wasn’t always eye to eye? Very few and far between, actually. I still envision our relationship as positive and always will,” Brady said.
As for once he left the team, Brady claims they still had a strong relationship, revealing that Belichick “was one of the first people to text me after we won the Super Bowl in Tampa.”
It’s a pretty clear message from Brady, and the NFL world had plenty to say about it.
This is a little revisionist — skipping OTAs, “I plead the fifth,” “he just wants to feel appreciated” — but Brady and Belichick deserve a lot of credit for putting it behind them and embracing their partnership https://t.co/GtX0uyXH5h
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) June 2, 2023
I more or less believe this. https://t.co/A79AOMGL0p
— Rod Francis (@InRodWeTrustMTL) June 2, 2023
Twitter (and many blue checkmarks) told me they hated each other. https://t.co/nJ0gheU6ps
— Mikewichter (@mikewichter) June 1, 2023
The most surprising thing about this is Bill Belichick of struggling to set the clock in his car fame sending a text.
— Bernd Buchmasser (@BerndBuchmasser) June 1, 2023
If you’re shocked by this you probably listen to sports radio https://t.co/8rm4gb4idG
— 🦃 𝚂𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚋 𝚅𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚑 🚀 (@Brett_Paci) June 1, 2023
Whether you believe it or not, Brady insists the two have a great relationship.
[ESPN]