In the 2024 documentary “Dynasty,” as reported by The Athletic, Brady disclosed that he and the head coach had a falling out after two decades of collaboration. “Even if I wanted to play until I was 50, I wasn’t going to sign another contract [in New England],” the quarterback remarked.
Allegedly, Brady had endured harsh treatment under Belichick, a sentiment echoed by Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the docuseries. Kraft stated, “Tom and I had a number of discussions about how Bill treated him. Tommy is very sensitive. He was always looking for Bill’s approval, almost in a father-son kind of way. And that’s not Bill’s style ever to give that.”
According to MassLive, Belichick was known for being tough on Brady, the team’s star, in order to set an example for the rest of the players. “Players, they’d … say, ‘Hey, the first meeting Belichick got on Brady. I’m like … if he’s going to talk to Brady like that I’d better be straight. I know what’s going to happen to me,'” Belichick explained. While this psychological tactic seemed effective, it raised questions about its consequences.
The rift between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady began to emerge in the 2010s. In 2014, Belichick drafted quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, citing concerns about Brady’s age and contract status, as reported by CBS News.
This move, when Brady was 37 years old, left him feeling uncertain about Belichick’s support. A year later, amid the ‘Deflategate’ scandal, Belichick distanced himself from Brady by stating, “Tom’s personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide,” as documented by Business Insider.
This statement implied that Belichick was not involved and placed responsibility for any wrongdoing squarely on Brady’s shoulders.
The tipping point reportedly occurred in 2017 when The Boston Globe revealed that the Patriots had decided to revoke the special access to Gillette Stadium for Tom Brady’s personal trainer, Alex Guerrero. This decision reportedly caused tension between Brady and the team, and although Belichick eventually reversed the decision, the damage had been done.
Additionally, Belichick allegedly employed various tactics to undermine Brady’s morale, such as downplaying Brady’s thumb injury during the 2018 AFC Championship Game. According to Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker, by the end of his time in New England, Brady felt like he was “continually going back to work for Belichick” akin to “an abused dog,” as reported by The Athletic.
Fans were largely unaware of Bill Belichick’s mistreatment of Tom Brady because Brady rarely discussed it. In fact, both Brady and Belichick, along with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, released a statement in 2018 reaffirming their positive relationship amidst rumors of tension.
Following his retirement, Brady has spoken highly of his former coach. When Belichick announced his departure from the Patriots franchise in January, Brady took to Instagram with a heartfelt post, expressing his immense gratitude. “I’m incredibly grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL,” he wrote.
Brady praised Belichick as a “great leader” and credited him with shaping his career. Despite this, Brady expressed surprise and disbelief when Belichick wasn’t hired for the 2024 coaching cycle, stating on his “Let’s Go!” podcast in February that he was “surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn’t have a job.” This apparent contradiction highlights the complexity of their relationship, with hindsight offering a clearer perspective.
