Tom Brady’s father has praised Bill Belichick as the ‘best coach in football’ but acknowledged a trait that he believes ultimately led his son to leave New England.
After two decades as the Patriots quarterback and six Super Bowl victories together, Brady departed the Northeast for Southwest Florida to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
He secured his seventh Super Bowl ring in his inaugural season with the new team, while Belichick’s Patriots posted a 29-38 record after Brady’s exit, missing the postseason in three of four seasons.
RELATED: Could Bill Belichick and Tom Brady be Heading for a Reunion?
‘Bill is tough,’ remarked Tom Brady Sr. to The Boston Globe. ‘He runs a military system. It’s a different generation. Bill is a great, great, great coach. But his interpersonal skills are horrible. That’s the bottom line.
‘How many times has he said – back in ’15 or ’16 – that he wanted to win without Tommy? When he went without Tommy, he didn’t know what he was losing. You’re losing more than just a quarterback.
‘Ego sometimes gets in the way of things. I think it did with Bill. Now, he’s in a situation where he’s gotten crucified for the last few years by everybody, and a lot of luster has come off his rose.’
Belichick’s 24-year coaching tenure in New England concluded last month, and the 71-year-old is currently struggling to find work, having only interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, who eventually hired Raheem Morris as their new head coach.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft initially sided with Belichick, believing that Brady was in the last phase of his career, only to regret seeing Brady win a championship with a different franchise.
Kraft admitted his mistake in front of the former Patriots’ No. 12 on September 10, during Brady’s honoring ceremony at Foxborough.
‘He just said, ”I made a mistake.” He told us that back in September,’ Brady Sr. said of Kraft.
‘We don’t all make the right decisions, but he’s made a hell of a lot of good ones over the years. But I know that it galls him that Tommy went elsewhere and won. Not that he won, but that he won after Bill said he was done.’
