Longtime New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft on Thursday agreed to mutually part ways.
It means Belichick, who spent the last 24 seasons in Foxboro, Mass., will be available on the open market. It also means New England will begin its first coaching search in more than two decades.
Standing alongside Kraft at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, here is what Belichick said during the press conference to announce the mutual split:
“Robert and I, after a series of discussions, have mutually agreed to part ways. For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration.
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“Start with Robert and his family, so much thanks for the opportunity to be head coach here for 24 years. It was an amazing opportunity, received tremendous support. We had a vision of building a winner, building a championship football team here, and that’s exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations. The amount of success that we were able to achieve together through a lot of hard work and contributions of so many people. I’m very proud of that. And I always have those great memories, I’ll carry those with me the rest of my life.
“And of course after Robert, thanks to the assistant coaches. I’ve had so many great coaches here. They’ve made my job so much easier. It’s a long list but the amount of work, preparation and diligence that they do, every one of them, and I say this about the players and the coaches regardless how long they were here, how many years they were here, how many years they coached and what their position was. It was a great team effort and everybody put everything they had into it, and that’s why we were successful.
“So the coaches, the support staff, it’s amazing staff here that supported me in every way. All the scouting and all the football support people from equipment and training, security, video, operations and so forth right now line, dining room. It’s all first class. It’s all extremely good. …
“And of course, a great, great deal thanks and appreciation to players. Players win games in the NFL and I’ve been very, very fortunate to coach some of the greatest players that have ever played. Some of the greatest players ever played for the Patriots, some of them already in the Hall of Fame, many more going in. But again, regardless of how long the players were or weren’t here, what their role was or how many games they played, or even if they didn’t win championships, I respect the way the players come to work here on a daily basis. All of them, and I’ve coached well over 1,000. Their ability to work, prepare, train in a weight room, train their bodies, meet, rehearse over and over again what we need to do things right to to be successful to win. I have so much respect for all the players, and certainly we’ve had many that have been here for a long time and had great contributions. Too many to name at this time, but great thanks to the players.
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“To media, for you guys. I don’t know that anybody’s got more coverage than I have or we have in the past 24 years. I give you guys a lot of respect what you do, you’re our voice to the fans even though we don’t always see eye to eye all the time, most of the time but not all the time, I do respect what do you do.
“And finally to the fans, the fans here are amazing. So many memories of the fans, the send offs, the parades, the Sundays, whatever the situations are. The letters of support. Seeing the fans away from here, at a gas station or grocery store, wherever you just bump into them. Patriot fans here, and not just in New England, but they extend nationally and even internationally as I’ve traveled. It’s amazing how far the arm reaches, we saw that this year in Germany. So so appreciative to the fans for all the support they’ve given me, my family, and this football team. And it’s with so many fond memories and thoughts that I think about the Patriots. And I’ll always be a Patriot. I look forward to coming back here. But at this time, we’re gonna move on. And I look forward and am excited for the future. But I’ll always be very appreciative of the opportunity here, the support here, and Robert what you’ve done for me.”
You can watch both Belichick’s statement, as well as Kraft’s, here.
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Featured image via Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports Images
