Plenty has been said and written about Tom Brady’s complicated relationship with head coach Bill Belichick when the pair were busy collecting Super Bowl trophies with the New England Patriots.
Some of that talk has painted Belichick in a negative light; many criticized Apple TV+’s docuseries The Dynasty for taking that tact.
Yet Brady has publicly expressed his respect and appreciation for his former head coach, and the NFL on Fox analyst did more of the same Thursday in an appearance on FS1’s The Herd. Host Colin Cowherd pointed out how the relationship between Brady and Belichick has evolved since they went their separate ways.
“When you and Belichick were in the middle of your dynasty, he hard coaches you, he calls you out he’s rough, that’s part of the culture,” Cowherd said. “But since you’ve gone your separate ways, he’s … a cream puff now. He’s a teddy bear.”
Cowherd mentioned Belichick’s comment Wednesday suggesting the Super Bowl’s Lombardi Trophy be renamed the Brady Trophy.
“When you look at Belichick and you now, is there a warmth now that wasn’t possible when you were in the middle of your dynasty?” Cowherd asked.
“We always had a great relationship, we still do,” Brady said. “I know there was a lot of things later in my career that people would say, to try to create division. I think there was always a great respect for each other … Were there times when we didn’t see everything eye to eye? Yeah, but that’s 20 years of a relationship. … I’m not characterizing our relationship based on a few moments that weren’t perfect for either of us.”
“We had as great of a relationship as you could have over a long period of time … There’s no coach I would have rather played for than him.”
Tom Brady on Bill Belichick:
“I think there was always a great respect for each other… We had as great of a relationship as you could have over a long period of time… There’s no coach I would have rather played for than him.” #NFL
(via @TheHerd) pic.twitter.com/595TucmQRD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 31, 2025
Brady then proceeded to credit Belichick for creating a team culture in New England that gave him a new perspective on life.
“I think the culture that I was a part of in New England embraced a team-first attitude,” Brady said. “What are the rewards of that? Championships are one, but more importantly than that, I have relationships with my teammates that go way far above and beyond what they were on the football field.”
Then, Brady turned philosophical.
“That’s what team sports are about. That’s what shared experiences are about,” Brady said. “That’s what relationships are about. That’s what ultimately the meaning of life is about.
“I have looked back on those moments as the best moments of my life, outside of being a parent, as the things that have shaped me into who I am today.”
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.