Bill Belichick recently attended the New York Giants' 40th anniversary of the franchise's first Super Bowl-winning team. Belichick met up with former players from that team during a private dinner. He left before the Giants' win over the Cardinals, which included a halftime ceremony honoring the 1986 Giants.
Two members of the 2021 Patriots were noticeably absent from this weekend's 25th-anniversary celebration: Belichick and former quarterback Tom Brady. A color commentator, Brady's absence was understandable as he was on assignment in Seattle. Belichick is also busy, given his role as North Carolina's coach.
But if he was able to make time to attend the Giants' anniversary, couldn't he have done the same for the '01 Patriots? There are two possible answers. Belichick may have actually been busy, or it may be because he continues to harbor ill will toward how his time in New England ended.
At the time, Patriots owner Robert Kraft called it a mutual parting, but it's become clear over time that Belichick was forced out after the 2023 season. Belichick didn't appreciate how his exit was handled, and it's impacted his relationship with the franchise in the years since. Last year, in his first year as the Tar Heels' coach, Belichick acknowledged that Patriots scouts were prohibited from being at North Carolina's facilities.
"It's clear I'm not welcome there at their facility. So they're not welcome at ours," Belichick said at the time. Both Kraft and Belichick have exchanged public barbs since their split.
Kraft initially said that he made a "big risk" by trading for Belichick (who was under contract with the Jets) to become the Patriots' new coach ahead of the 2000 season. Belichick responded by saying that he was the one who took a risk by coming to New England. "As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job," Belichick told ESPN.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
