Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has admitted that Tom Brady made the right decision to leave Foxborough for Tampa Bay. Brady, who was drafted by the Patriots and won six Super Bowls with the franchise, departed after the 2019 season and joined the Buccaneers, where he went on to win Super Bowl LV over the Kansas City Chiefs, securing his seventh and final title.
Belichick's Acknowledgment
During an appearance on Fox News Media's 'Hang Out with Sean Hannity' podcast, Belichick stated, 'You know, Tom leaving was absolutely the right thing for him to do. We didn't have a good team in 2020. We just didn't have a good football team.' He highlighted that key players like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman had left or retired, and the team was at the end of its cycle.
'We were just at the end. And honestly, I was happy for him that things worked out well for him in Tampa, because he was with a team - and then he went on and won. That made me happy for him, because Tom - it wouldn't have gone well in 2020 in New England. On this, I can guarantee that,' Belichick added.
Financial and Career Decisions
Belichick explained that the Patriots had invested heavily in the 2019 season, including paying Brady a significant sum without strings attached. 'There was no first right of refusal, there was no franchise tag, nothing. And so we all understood that there was a good chance he would leave. And I think he made a great career decision, obviously. I wish we could have done more, but we went as far as we could.'
He praised Brady's longevity and performance: 'He proved it - he played longer than anybody, played at a higher level than anybody. And again, tremendous credit to him. Nobody else did that - that was him.'
Brady's Joke and Mutual Respect
Belichick also reacted to Brady's joke during a commencement speech at Georgetown University, where Brady advised graduates to surround themselves with people who push them to greatness, 'even if one of those people is a cranky old coach who cuts the sleeves off their sweatshirt and screams at you all day.'
Belichick chuckled, saying, 'It is funny. We look back at those moments and laugh, but honestly, he was a great, great quarterback, a great teammate.' He acknowledged that they 'learned a lot from each other' and praised Brady's willingness to be coached.
Addressing criticism, Belichick recalled: 'People say, well, I was hard on Tom and I yelled at Tom. Yeah, I mean, at times, sure - that's part of coaching. But Tom was great about that. A lot of times he would say, “You know, it might be a little rough in there today in this meeting because of what happened in the game yesterday or whatever.” And he'd say, “Yeah, I understand - we probably need it.” And he goes, “Make sure you include me, because then I'm one of the guys. If you leave me out of it, then it's like, well, Tom's great but everybody else is the problem.” So he kind of said, “Don't forget to include me.” Yeah, no problem, Tom. Sure, I'll yell at you too. It's easy.'
