Bill Belichick wasn't available to say goodbye to Tom Brady when QB left the New England Patriots
Bill Belichick's stoic personality isn't seen as one to give a teary-eyed goodbye and a hug. Apparently, he wouldn't even say goodbye in person to someone he's worked with for 20 years.
According to ESPN's Seth Wickersam via Bleacher Report, when it was time for Brady's final exit from Foxborough, Belichick was not the one to hold the door open.
Tom Brady Lose One Game And Start Recruiting 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 twitter.com/nfl/status/144…
The two spoke on the phone, however, and Belichick told Brady that he was the "best player the league has ever seen." Nevertheless, the delivery over the phone seemingly rubbed Brady the wrong way and he saw it as an indication of how much their relationship had deteriorated.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick: The erosion
Brady and Belichick's relationship started to hit snags in Brady's 30s. After winning a host of Super Bowls and numerous division titles, Brady was treated the same way at 35 years old as he was at 25.
As time went on, according to his trainer Alex Guerrero, the quarterback grew more frustrated with the treatment.
"I think in time, with Tom, as Tom got into his late 30s or early 40s, I think Bill was still trying to treat him like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted. And all the players, I think, realized Tom was different," Guerrero said.
"He's older, so he should be treated differently. And all the players, none of them would have cared that he was treated differently. I think that was such a Bill thing. He never evolved. So you can't treat someone who's in his 40s like they're 20. It doesn't work."
Another big factor in Brady's ultimate decision to leave New England was Belichick's decision to draft garoppolo' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>garoppolo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Jimmy Garoppolo. From Belichick's perspective, Tom Brady was a quarterback nearing the end of his prime.
Bill Belichick didn't want to be left hanging after Brady's drop in production, so he proactively drafted the quarterback of the future. Garoppolo ended up playing a few games for the Patriots in relief of Tom Brady, games in which he looked like a starting quarterback.
Brady wanted to keep playing with the team and eventually played a role with Robert Kraft in pressuring Belichick to trade Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers.
The event caused a split in the relationship that ultimately led Brady on a path towards a new team and Belichick on a path towards dialing a phone number instead of an in-person visit.