After clashing as rivals in the AFC for years, Ryan Clark and Bill Belichick are now cohosts of The CW’s Inside the NFL each week.
And while Clark isn’t surprised that the legendary former New England Patriots head coach is a great analyst and a hit on television this year across his many jobs, there is one thing about Belichick that Clark didn’t expect.
As Clark revealed in an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers this week, Belichick has a habit of tardiness.
“All the time,” Clark told Meyers. “And you talk to all his players, all he did was take their money every time they were late.”
Clark recalled the first time Belichick showed up to the studio late before the season premiere, when he figured it was a calculated decision. Then, it never stopped.
“The first day, he walked in late, but I thought it was this cool, ‘I’m the greatest coach of all time, I know you can’t tell me anything,’ sort of walk in late, so we just all clapped for him,” Clark said, “because it was like, this is freaking Bill Belichick … but he’s late every week, Seth.”
It’s not just the small stuff.
“The funny thing is, he’s late for everything,” Clark said. “Some people would be late for like the pre-show meeting, but then when the show’s supposed to start, which his segment’s first every time … and then 15 minutes later, he comes strolling in. And guess what, none of us tell him anything, and we act like we’ve been waiting on him and it’s OK.”
As far as Belichick’s analysis goes, Clark wants even more. The 13-year NFL veteran safety told Meyers that behind the scenes of Inside the NFL, Belichick is brutal. Even highlight plays come and go with little reaction from Belichick.
If Clark is getting this much from one weekly show, imagine what Belichick’s cohosts across ESPN, Underdog Fantasy and SiriusXM see.
We may only get Belichick in the media for one year, but the stories figure to last a generation.
