Bill Belichick is a huge Navy fan.
Just look at how he ended Tuesday’s conference call with reporters:
Why does Belichick love Navy? Well, because he grew up in Annapolis, Md., where his father, Steve, spent over 30 years on the Naval Academy’s football coaching staff after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Belichick was invited to speak to the football team at his alma mater, Annapolis High School, this summer, and his visit didn’t disappoint. After catching up with the school’s athletic director, Belichick surprised the Annapolis Panthers by imparting some words of wisdom on the young players.
NFL Films resurfaced footage of Belichick’s return home Tuesday.
There are several highlights from Belichick here: Yelling “Fighting Panthers! Fighting Panthers, right!” to the glee of his audience, strapping on a football helmet and semi-awkwardly leading a “We are the Panthers” cheer during a team photo.
But the most important part of his visit was his words, as the veteran coach gave some pretty sound advice to his former high school team.
“What you want is to trust each one of your teammates, the guy sitting next to you, the guy sitting behind you, the guy sitting across from you,” Belichick said. “So, how do you get that? Do you talk about it? No. You earn it. Nobody can give it to you. You can’t buy it. You can’t talk about it. You gotta go out there and earn it. It’s a process. And it’s day after day after day after day.”
Coming from a guy who consistently preaches about “Do(ing) Your Job” and “No Days Off,” this message sounds about right.
