Tom Brady’s fresh comments about New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick evidence the true nature of their relationship.
Brady spent nearly 20 years as the start quarterback with the Patriots after being drafted in 2001. During his time in Foxboro, the 45-year-old won six Super Bowls and is widely regarded as the greatest player in NFL history.
After close to two decades with the Patriots, Brady decided to leave the franchise and join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. In his first season, Brady would win his seventh Super Bowl ring to solidify his position as the best in the sport.
However, the exit from the Patriots has since led to suggestions that he and Belichick had a falling out. This was fuelled when, after announcing his retirement back in February, Brady posted around 100 photos from across his career, but none of them featured Belichick.
Despite the rumours, Brady and Belichick seemed to be on good terms when the Patriots coach appeared on his former quarterback’s Let’s Go! Podcast back in February. It was here where the duo were full of praise for each other, with Belichick highlighting Brady’s attributes as a person, as well as a player.
"The greatest player, the greatest career," Belichick said. "A great, great person. It was such an opportunity and an honor for me to coach Tom. I guess it's gotta end at some point. But it's the greatest one ever. So, congratulations, Tom."
And in a recent interview with ESPN , Brady was once again asked about his relationship with his former coach. The ex-quarterback stated that he has a lot of respect for Belichick, and even said he was one of the first people to contact him after his Super Bowl win with the Bucs.
"He very much trusted what I was out there doing in the field, and it went both ways,” said Brady. “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," he said, before adding he "learned so much from him."
Brady added by saying Belichick "Was one of the first people to text me after we won the Super Bowl in Tampa".
"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 is still set to remain involved in the NFL, as he looks to acquire a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. This news has led to speculation that he could make another return from retirement, after waiting 41 days following his first announcement last year.
However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated , Brady confirmed that he had no plans to resume playing football and will remain retired. "I'm certain I'm not playing again, so I've tried to make that clear and I hate to continue to profess that, cause I've already told people that lots of times,” said Brady.
