On a night dedicated to celebrating Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion took a moment Wednesday to acknowledge and thank the man who coached him for two decades.
Brady, during his induction speech into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium, had nothing but praise for Bill Belichick.
“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us,” Brady said, addressing Belichick’s role in the Patriots’ dynasty. “… Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”
Tom Brady to Belichick: “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t you. It was us. … Let me make this crystal clear: There is no coach in the world I would rather play for than Bill Belichick.”
Belichick shared a similar sentiment when speaking at the event.
“Thank you for all you have done for us,” the 72-year-old coach said to Brady. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
Thank you, @TomBrady. pic.twitter.com/xy3k2SCdHZ
The two future Pro Football Hall of Famers shared 20 years together from Brady’s rookie season in 2000 to his final campaign in Foxborough in ’19. Brady and Belichick appeared in nine Super Bowls together and won six championship rings, pairing up to steer arguably the best dynasty in NFL history.
Now retired, Brady will head to the broadcast booth this upcoming season to debut as the top Fox Sports analyst during games. Belichick, who split ways with the Patriots in January, won’t be coaching in the NFL this fall for the first time since 1975.
TOM DIERBERGER
Tom is a writer and editor for the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. In the industry since 2016, Tom joined Sports Illustrated in 2023 after working with FOX Sports, Bally Sports, and NBC Sports. Off the clock, Tom can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.
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