Tom Brady credits his incredible longevity to the work he does with his personal body coach/business partner, Alex Guerrero.
But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Guerrero and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick have not seen eye to eye this season.
Schefter said Friday in an interview with WEEI’s “Kirk & Callahan” that he’s “heard whispers” of a rift between Belichick and Guerrero, who is not a Patriots employee but works with Brady and several other New England players, including wide receiver Julian Edelman, tight end Rob Gronkowski and linebacker Dont’a Hightower.
“There’s some sort of issue,” Schefter said, as transcribed by WEEI.com. “I truly do not know the extent of it. I don’t know how long it has been brewing or the history of it. Clearly, there’s something there, but I don’t know what to make of it, to be honest with you.”
Asked whether he’d consider their disagreement a serious issue, Schefter responded: “I don’t know how to quantify that, but again, it’s not the first time I have heard it this season, but I don’t have extensive knowledge of it to say, ‘Boy, this is a big deal, or this is not a big deal.’ ”
Guerrero, whose TB12 Performance Center is located in the shadow of Gillette Stadium, has traveled with the Patriots and been on the sideline during games in years past. He has not been seen around the team as often of late.
An ESPN The Magazine piece published last month quoted a friend of Belichick as saying there is “a collision coming” between the coach and Guerrero. Belichick dismissed the story as “fake news” and again clarified that Guerrero is not employed by the team.
“Alex works with Tom and Tom’s facility, and that’s really about the end of it,” Belichick told WEEI’s “Dale & Holley with Keefe” at the time. “If a player goes up there for a second opinion, or treatment, or whatever, that’s fine. No different than one who went to his own chiropractor or massage therapist, or whatever it happens to be.”
Brady has played in every game this season but has missed practices in recent weeks with an Achilles injury. Schefter said Belichick’s relationship with the 40-year-old quarterback remains strong.
“I think it is a good relationship,” Schefter said. “I don’t think that is an issue. Listen, there have been some dynamics this year — the Alex Guerrero one, the Jimmy Garoppolo one. Every relationship goes through different phases, ons and offs and ups and downs. Honestly, I don’t know where they are at today. I just know that the Guerrero thing has been an issue at some point this season. It has come up. It is not the first time it has been brought to my attention. There we are.”
