The reported rift between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick has dominated football-related conversations over the past year-plus, but it apparently has seeped into other sectors of the sports world as well.
While rumors of tension within the New England Patriots organization had somewhat died down recently, the fire received a splash of gasoline Wednesday when excerpts were released from Ian O’Connor’s book “Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time.”
One of the more interesting nuggets that surfaced was an alleged conversation between Belichick and New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who reportedly received a bit of gossip about Brady from the Patriots head man.
“New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman recalled in the book that Belichick told him years earlier about a disagreement Brady had with a Patriots strength coach over equipment,” per ESPN. “Belichick said, ‘If Tom Brady wants it, Tom Brady gets it. If you get a player at that level, you get him what he needs, even if the strength coach says otherwise.'”
To be fair, Belichick’s claim isn’t that out of the ordinary. While you never want to put one player above the rest of the team, it goes without saying that a franchise’s premier player gets treated differently. Especially when it comes to a player like Brady, who’s been a critical piece of each of New England’s five Super Bowl titles.
That said, it also would be unfair to give Brady the prima donna label. The veteran quarterback routinely has taken hometown discounts for the betterment of the team, which has allowed the Patriots to maintain a high level of success throughout the Brady-Belichick era. So while TB12 might clash with a coach from time to time, it doesn’t appear as though as he has a habit of being a detriment to the club.
