Two decades, six Super Bowl championships and a never-to-be-duplicated dynasty from Tom Brady and Bill Belichick ended with … a phone call.
That tidbit — and many more — were revealed Wednesday in a preview of Seth Wickersham’s upcoming book, ‘It’s Better To Be Feared: The New England Patriots Dynasty and the Pursuit of Greatness.”
The preview begins with this anecdote about how Brady and Belichick said goodbye once the quarterback chose to leave the Patriots for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in early 2020:
In the end, Tom Brady just wanted to say goodbye — in person — to his longtime coach. But according to a new book to be published next month, Bill Belichick said he wasn’t available and insisted the two New England Patriots legends talk on the phone.
Even though Belichick told Brady that he was “the best player the league had ever seen,” Brady told a friend the fact it came over the phone was “telling” about how badly the duo’s relationship had deteriorated over the years.
If Brady truly felt that way about his interaction — or lack thereof — with Belichick, it’s different than what he has said publicly. In an interview with Howard Stern shortly after signing with the Bucs, Brady seemed at peace with how things went down with Belichick upon informing the coach of his departure.
“I was able to call Coach (Bill) Belichick at the same time and thank him. It was great, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way,” Brady told Stern last year.
ESPN’s preview also offered insight into a near-fistfight between Belichick and Eric Mangini, context on the infamous Malcolm Butler Super Bowl benching and much more.
Brady and the Bucs will visit Belichick’s Patriots on Sunday night in Foxboro, Mass. Wickersham’s book officially releases Oct. 12.
