It’s probably safe to assume Bill Belichick hates losing more than he enjoys winning. That mindset often makes him the subject of scrutiny when the Patriots falter.
CBS analyst and former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe wasn’t too pleased with Belichick’s antics following New England’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday. Belichick skipped his postgame interview with CBS, and Sharpe promptly ripped into the Patriots’ head coach.
“There’s something to be said about being gracious in defeat,” Sharpe said after Belichick’s shutdown. “We’ve seen the New England Patriots five times in the last 12 years be victorious. And we’ve seen the opposing coaches that lost come out and speak to our Steve Tasker. Coach [Bill] Cowher did it when they lost. We saw this last week. Bill Belichick makes it very easy for you to root against the Patriots. You can’t be a poor sport all the time. You’re not going to win every time. And he does this every time he loses. It is unacceptable.”
This isn’t the first time Belichick has been seen as an ungracious loser. So while he did address the media after the game, it’s no shock that his refusal to grant CBS — which reportedly paid $622 million to air AFC games this season — its customary postgame interivew rubbed some people the wrong way.
Belichick instead sent Devin McCourty out in his place, and the third-year defensive back said, “They outplayed us,” which accurately summarizes what transpired at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. In other words, McCourty gave a very Belichickean answer. McCourty isn’t the guy CBS bargained for, though, and Sharpe made sure it didn’t go unnoticed.
Check out Sharpe’s rant in the video below.
Vote: Does Bill Belichick mistreat the media?
Click here to see what John Harbaugh thinks of Belichick>>
Photo of the Day
Defeat.
Quote of the Day
“I’d probably say we came up a little short in every area.”
–Bill Belichick — a man of few words
Tweet of the Day
The end of an era.
Congrats to Gil Santos, voice of the Patriots, who closed out a fantastic 36-yr career in the broadcast booth last night. He willl be missed
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 21, 2013
Video of the Day
Maybe the Harbaugh Bowl won’t be that bad.
