Tom Brady defends relationship with Bill Belichick, insisting he ‘was very lucky to play for’ Patriots head coach after reports of ugly split in 2020
- Together, Brady and Belichick have earned six of nine Super Bowl appearances
- The couple denied arguing before Brady’s move to Tampa in 2019
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Tom Brady opened up about his relationship with Bill Belichick, saying he ‘learned so much’ from the New England Patriots head coach and was ‘very lucky’ to be able to play under him during the major part of his career.
“He really trusted what I was doing on the court, and it went both ways,” the now-retired quarterback told ESPN.
“At the end of the day, our success was down to so many people in the organization, like Coach Belichick always said, ‘do your job,’ and I did that as a quarterback and a leader.”
Together, Brady and Belichick reached the Super Bowl nine times and won six to establish one of the most enduring AFC dynasties in NFL history.
Brady said he and Belichick “have a lot of mutual respect” and a “great” relationship, adding that the Patriots coach “was one of the first people to text me after winning the Super Bowl in Tampa “.
Tom Brady played under Bill Belichick with the New England Patriots for 20 seasons (2000-2019)
The now-retired quarterback and 71-year-old head coach have won six Super Bowls together
“Were there times when you know it wasn’t always the same? Very few and far between, in fact. I still view our relationship as positive and always will be,’ Brady said.
The 45-year-old left the Northeast to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season, playing his final three years in the NFL in Florida before retiring in February.
But reports of friction between Brady, Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and personal trainer Alex Guerrero emerged as the three-time MVP’s tenure in New England ended.
A chapter in Seth Wickersham’s book ‘It’s Better To Be Feared’ highlighted Brady’s breakup with Belichick in 2020 and that it happened over the phone because the head coach apparently wouldn’t want to meet the quarterback in face to face.
Belichick and the Patriots have struggled since Tom Brady left for Tampa in the 2019 offseason
Brady, 45, won his last Super Bowl title without Belichick over the Buccaneers in 2021
Belichick and Brady have denied any allegations of a feud over the years, with Brady later telling a Bucs press conference that “everything was handled the right way” after his off-season move to the South there. three years.
The pair kept tabs on each other, though, and even spent 20 minutes together after an October 2021 game between the Patriots and Buccaneers, according to Sport Illustrated.
Following his second retirement from professional football in February, Belichick appeared on “Let’s Go!” of Brady. podcast, telling his former field general and Jim Gray that “it was such an opportunity and honor for me to coach Tom.”
Brady celebrates with Belichick & Patriots owner Robert Kraft after winning Super Bowl XLIX
“I was very lucky to play with him and be a member of those teams,” Brady later told ESPN this month.
“With him, his leadership and his ability to coach and put our team in a great position to succeed, I think we had a great relationship.
“I think we’ve always had a lot of respect for each other, and I think over time we’ll have more respect for each other because there will be more perspective on these things.”
“I take a lot of the things he taught me in terms of leadership in the different opportunities that come my way.”
The Patriots have missed the NFL playoffs since Brady left New England in 2020, ending the regular season with a losing record in each of the past three years.
