What Supposedly Caused Tom Brady And Bill Belichick's Fallout

Before there was Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, there was Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. During his time as quarterback of the New England Patriots under Belichick, Brady won six Super Bowl and 17 division titles, more than any other player in NFL history. Together, Brady and Belichick built a seemingly unstoppable dynasty, so why did they seem to be on bad terms towards the end of Brady's career in New England?

In the 2024 documentary "Dynasty" (via The Athletic), Brady explained that he'd fallen out with the head coach after two decades together. "I wasn't going to sign another contract [in New England] even if I wanted to play until [I was] 50," the quarterback said. Apparently, Brady had endured "brutal" treatment under Belichick, which Patriots owner Robert Kraft also spoke about in the docuseries. "Tom and I had a number of discussions about how Bill treated him," Kraft said. "Tommy is very sensitive. He was always looking for Bill's approval, almost in a father-son kind of way. And that's not Bill's style ever to give that."

Per MassLive, Belichick was notoriously tough on Brady, the star of the team, because he hoped it would keep the rest of the players in line. "Players, they'd ... say, 'Hey, the first meeting Belichick got on Brady. I'm like ... if he's going to talk to Brady like that I'd better be straight. I know what's going to happen to me,'" Belichick explained. As a psychological tactic it worked, but at what cost?

The relationship between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady began deteriorating in the 2010s. In 2014, Belichick drafted quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, explaining (via CBS News), "We know what Tom's age and contract situation is." This didn't make Brady, then 37, feel like he had his coach's vote of confidence. One year later, Belichick threw Brady under the bus in the wake of the 'Deflategate' scandal. (For the uninitiated, 'Deflategate' was when the Patriots came under fire for allegedly deflating footballs, because Brady preferred a softer grip.) "Tom's personal preferences on his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide," Belichick said in a statement, via Business Insider. The implication? His hands were clean, and any hint of scandal was Brady's fault.

But the suspected breaking point came in 2017, when The Boston Globe reported that the Patriots announced they would no longer allow Brady's personal trainer, Alex Guerrero, to have special access to Gillette stadium. This apparently "caused some friction," and even though Belichick later changed his mind, the damage was done. Belichick also found a million little ways to demoralize his quarterback, such as making light of Brady's thumb injury in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. By the end of his tenure in New England, Brady was "like an abused dog ... continually going back to work for Belichick," Patriots wide receiver Wes Walker told The Athletic.

Fans didn't know much about Bill Belichick's mistreatment of Tom Brady because Brady didn't talk about it. In fact, the pair — alongside Patriots owner Robert Kraft — issued a statement reaffirming their good relationship following rumors of tension in 2018. And since his retirement, Brady has spoken glowingly of his former coach. When Belichick announced his decision to leave the Patriots franchise in January, Brady took to Instagram with a gushing post. 

"I'm incredibly grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL," he said. The quarterback went on to praise Belichick as a "great leader," citing his inspiring work ethic and unwavering commitment. "I could never have been the player I was without you, Coach Belichick," Brady concluded. "I am forever grateful. And I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose next."

There has been lots of talk about where Belichick will head next. But when he wasn't hired for the 2024 coaching cycle, Brady expressed his incredulity. "I don't know the criteria for hiring ... coaches, you know. I've never been a part of it," the seven-time Super Bowl winner said on his "Let's Go!" podcast in February (via ESPN). "I mean, I'm surprised that the greatest coach ever doesn't have a job, you know, absolutely. You know I'm surprised about a lot of things in the NFL." Based on this, you'd never think Belichick and Brady once butted heads. Then again, they say hindsight is 20-20.