Bill Belichick Takes Jab in Statement on Tom Brady's Retirement

Bill Belichick has broken his silence on Tom Brady's retirement. The New England Patriots head coach released a statement about Brady calling it a career and gave him a ton of praise. However, InsideHook believes that Belichick may have taken a subtle jab at Brady in his statement. 

"I am privileged to have drafted and coached Tom Brady, the ultimate competitor and winner," Belichick wrote. "Tom's humble beginning in professional football ultimately ended with him becoming the best player in NFL history. Tom consistently performed at the highest level against competition that always made him the number one player to stop. His pursuit of excellence was inspirational. Tom was professional on and off the field, and carried himself with class, integrity, and kindness. I thank Tom for his relentless pursuit of excellence and positive impact on me and the New England Patriots for 20 years."  

InsideHook says that Belichick "patted himself on the back" for drafting and coaching Brady. The outlet also noted how Belichick praised Brady's "class, integrity and kindness which was called into question when Brady didn't mention the Patriots in his retirement announcement. Brady did respond to Belichick with a short but emotional message.

"Thank you Coach Belichick," Brady wrote in his Instagram story. "I appreciated being coached by you the Greatest Coach in NFL history. Belichick became the Patriots head coach in 2000, which is the same year Brady was drafted to the team. Together, Brady and Belichick led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances with six Super Bowl wins. In 2020, Brady left the Patriots and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first season with the Bucs, Brady led the team to a Super Bowl win for his seventh title. In 2021 the Bucs took on the Patriots in New England, and Brady's team came out on top. 

"We've had a personal relationship for 20-plus years. He drafted me here. We had a lot of personal conversations that should remain that way. They're very private," Brady said about the meeting he and Belichick had after the game, per ESPN. "I would say, so much is made of our relationship. ... Nothing is really accurate that I ever see. It definitely doesn't come from my personal feelings or beliefs."