When the time is right, Bill Belichick likes to see his New England Patriots cut loose and have some fun.
Unfortunately, the Patriots head coach didn’t see tight end Martellus Bennett dancing to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” with the team’s cheerleaders after New England’s 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl LI.
“Yeah, I missed all of the dancing with the cheerleaders. Sorry,” Belichick said Monday in a conference call. “We’ll have to get a replay on that.”
Belichick took the question on Bennett’s dancing as an opportunity to praise his 2016 Patriots for their team camaraderie.
“I’d say just in general it’s great to, obviously it was a great win for our team and our organization last night, but it’s great to see the players who have worked so hard take so much satisfaction in their relationship with their teammates and the goal that they accomplished last night,” Belichick said. “Another step in a season where the team has already won 16 games, but it was another significant step. When you see them reacting and congratulating each other and celebrating like that, you know you have a closeness on the team that is special. I mentioned that last night, and it’s true.
“These guys, they work hard. They put up with a lot from me, and they put up with a lot of significant demands and requirements here, but it’s done with the intent to try and produce a good product and a good team. They buy into it. They perform well in critical situations like last night. I take a lot of satisfaction in seeing them achieve that because they’ve worked so hard for it, and I think they deserve it, but you’ve got to go out and prove it.
“Again, going back to Jerry Izenberg — ‘No Medals for Trying.’ This time of year, everybody tries hard. Everybody has a good team that is still playing. You’re only rewarded for achievement. Last night, we were fortunate enough to earn that. It’s a great feeling to see everybody have that kind of interaction with each other and feel so good about their teammates and the guys they’ve worked so hard with.”
Thumbnail photo via James Lang/USA TODAY Sports Images
