The Belichick family — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and team assistants Steve and Brian Belichick — were back on the football field Wednesday, one day after the death of their mother and grandmother, Jeannette Belichick.
Jeannette, 98, was the mother to Bill Belichick and grandmother to both Steve and Brian Belichick. The news of her passing from natural causes was made public Tuesday night.
The three Belichick men were back at Gillette Stadium in preparation for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. It was their way of being together, Steve Belichick said.
“Yeah, absolutely. It’s always good to be around family,” the outside linebackers coach told reporters Wednesday. “It’s great to be around (Bill) any day, but specifically with our loss recently.”
And both remembered their grandmother fondly.
“She made you feel like you were the most important person in the world to her,” Brian Belichick, the Patriots safeties coach, said. “She was a great influence on me and influencing me on how to treat other people, how to bring great energy every day, be positive.”
Steve Belichick added: “She lived an amazing life. I was so, so fortunate to have such loving grandparents like her. I was excited that my daughter was able to meet her and spend some time with her before she passed. That meant a lot to me and my wife. That was really great. She was a very special person. I loved going to their house and spending time with her and my grandpa before he passed. She’ll be missed. Now she’s up in heaven with my grandpa, so I’m sure they’re happy up there.”
Bill Belichick’s father, Steve, died in 2005.
The organization publicly shared their condolences to the family Wednesday.
Bill Belichick did not hold his usual Wednesday press conference, postponing it until Thursday morning. The Patriots are scheduled to leave for Seattle on Friday for their Week 2 clash.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
