02 February 2024 , 03:57
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Tom Brady's dad, Tom Brady Sr., has claimed that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft admitted he made a mistake choosing Bill Belichick over his son after the 2019 season. After leaving the Patriots, Brady played three more seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and even won the Super Bowl in his first year there.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have only made it to the postseason once in four seasons since Brady left, with no playoff wins. After Brady's departure, the Pats had a less than stellar record of 29-39 in Belichick's last four seasons before they parted ways with him in January.
According to Brady Sr., Kraft privately admits he was wrong to let go of Brady after 2019. "He just said, 'I made a mistake.' He told us that back in September," Brady Sr. shared with the Boston Globe.
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The alleged confession came when the family was at Gillette Stadium for the Patriots home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, where Brady made his post-retirement return for a halftime ceremony.
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Brady Sr. added, "We don't all make the right decisions," but he's made a hell of a lot of good ones over the years. "But I know that it galls him that Tommy went elsewhere and won. Not that he won, but that he won after Bill said he was done."
The Globe reports that Brady Sr. confirmed there were no new interactions with Belichick during their recent visit to Foxborough, which was consistent with the quarterback's two decades with the team.
Tom Brady Sr. has detailed the conversations Kraft had with the Brady family last September"Bill is tough," said Brady Sr., "He runs a military system. It's a different generation. Bill is a great coach. But his interpersonal skills are horrible. That's the bottom line.
"He once said - back in '15 or '16 - that he wanted to win without Tommy? When he went without Tommy, he didn't know what he was losing. You're losing more than just a quarterback.
"Ego sometimes gets in the way of things. I think it did with Bill.
"Now, he's been criticised for the last few years by everyone, and a lot of shine has come off his reputation." But Brady Sr. doesn't downplay Belichick's importance to the Patriots dynasty.
"I don't think it's fair what I've seen everyone saying that it's all Tom," his father said. "Bill is the best coach in football, hands down. The last three or four years of his time in New England have been disappointing. It's too bad."
Belichick hasn't easily found a new head coaching job since leaving the Patriots. Despite interviewing twice with the Atlanta Falcons, they chose former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. And now, every head coaching position is filled.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.