Bill Belichick’s name has been in the news a lot more than he’d probably like considering the New England Patriots aren’t one of the two teams preparing for the Super Bowl later this month.
Belichick’s alleged text is at the center of a potential scandal and discrimination case against the NFL and three of its teams, and much was made about the Hoodie’s name being left out of Tom Brady’s retirement post.
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On Wednesday evening, Belichick issued a statement on Brady’s retirement via the Patriots’ official social media channels. As expected, Belichick was nothing but complimentary of Brady calling him the best player in NFL history.
Bill Belichick Shares His Admiration for Tom Brady
The Patriots’ official Twitter account posted Belichick’s message and called Brady “the ultimate competitor.”
The ultimate competitor.
Statement from Bill Belichick on Tom Brady: t.co/vYpiKZEKDG
Brady’s run with the Patriots is unlikely to be duplicated by any athlete ever in any sport. Spending 20 years with the same coach and franchise is nearly unheard of, and to have as much success as the two men had is even more rare.
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That’s precisely why so many around the NFL world were a bit taken aback by Brady leaving any mention of Belichick or the Patriots organization out of his farewell post.
After the Patriots’ social media account saluted Brady, the future Hall-of-Famer quoted and retweeted the tribute. Still, he made no specific mention of Belichick.
However, after Belichick’s message went public, Brady responded and returned the love and respect. Brady called him the “greatest coach in NFL history.”
Earlier this evening Bill Belichick called Tom Brady the best player in NFL history.
Tom Brady responded via Instagram and called Bill Belichick the greatest coach in NFL history. Two🐐🐐.
Brady’s exit from the NFL along with his former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ move to the Las Vegas Raiders as head coach leaves Belichick as one of the last links to the team’s glory years.
There is even a series of decisions to be made on the futures of guys like Dont’a Hightower, Brandon Bolden and Devin McCourty, who each have three Super Bowl rings with the Patriots.
Change is here.
Will We See a Special Ceremony for Brady in Foxboro?
It seems almost inevitable we’ll see some sort of Brady appreciation week during the 2022 season. It would seem as though it might be appropriate ahead of an upcoming AFC East divisional game.
Call it a wild guess, but I’d watch for something the same week the Patriots play the Buffalo Bills or New York Jets at home. Brady owned both of those teams during and after his long tenure with the Patriots.
It would seem fitting for him to have a long halftime celebration where he addresses the fanbase, Robert Kraft, Belichick and former teammates. It’s likely he’ll have his No. 12 retired by the team and he’ll be inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame years ahead of his eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
If there was ever a player worthy of waiving the five-year wait rule, it would be Brady. He owns virtually every passing record there is, and he has won more Super Bowls than any other player in the history of the game.
There are full-grown adults who don’t know a world where Brady isn’t in the NFL or a superstar in the sports world. We’ll likely never see another athlete reach these heights and because of that, special consideration and concessions are in order.
Thankfully, Brady and Belichick have publicly acknowledged each other the way they both deserve after two decades of excellence.
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Bill Belichick Breaks Silence on Tom Brady’s Retirement