Bill Belichick is an honest man — and when you earn his respect like Tom Brady has, you know you’ve done a good job. During a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, the former head coach finally put any talk of bad blood between himself and Brady to rest, and he did so fairly eloquently.
“I would say with Tom, I learned a lot more from him than he learned from me, I’m sure,” Belichick said—something that no one expected but is long overdue.
The winningest head coach then discussed how Brady, as a quarterback, frequently shared his perspective on the game. It greatly benefited Belichick in understanding his quarterback and determining what was needed to fill the gaps.
“Look, I see the game from the sideline, I see the game from film. Tom would see the game from where he saw it from, behind the center and in the pocket… He taught me all the little things, some of which are big things, just about how he saw the game as quarterback.”
The media have spent the better part of the last two decades debating the state of their relationship. One day, they’re the best of friends — and then they’re bitter enemies, despite always showing up for each other. Brady had a roast on Netflix, and Belichick was there. The quarterback was also inducted into the Patriots’ Hall of Fame, and without any surprise, his former head coach was there.
And now that Belichick is spending the NFL season on the sidelines, even joining social media, it was Brady who, in a true Brady fashion, welcomed the head coach to the social media site.
The rumors about the two ending their time in New England on bad terms have persisted. Hopefully, these displays of off-field camaraderie will put that talk to rest once and for all.