No, Bill Belichick doesn’t hate the military.
Belichick has chosen over the years not to wear camouflage as part of the NFL’s “Salute to Service” initiative, and he again refrained from donning such apparel Sunday night when the New England Patriots defeated the Green Bay Packers 31-17 at Gillette Stadium.
Why? Well, the Patriots head coach answered that question Monday during a conference call.
“I mean, I don’t know. I mean, I usually wear the same thing for every game – I mean, not the same thing, but depending on the weather and so forth, I just wear the same thing for every game,” Belichick told reporters. “So, I don’t change what I wear weekly based on whatever the theme of the week is. But, ‘Salute to Service’ is — look, the military and the job that our servicemen and women do and the sacrifices that they make are very important to me and my family, always has been, always will be, and I always want to recognize those and I do it.
“So, I don’t have any objection to what anybody else does, but I just choose to — honestly, I don’t think what sweatshirt I wear is that important. What’s important to me is what your actions are, what you do, so I try to make those count.”
Belichick, whose father coached at the United States Naval Academy, certainly has shown through his actions over the years that he has great respect for members of the armed forces. So while it’s somewhat interesting that he doesn’t wear “Salute to Service” gear on the Patriots’ sideline, it’s also a non-story that probably should be put to rest on the heels of Monday’s explanation.
