Some things best remain in the past but for Tom Brady, he still had some explaining to do. The retired NFL legend’s departure from Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in 2020 became one of the biggest news in the NFL. After all, after playing with them for two decades and winning them six SB victories, why would Brady want to leave the team?

Speculations led to a possible cold war between the then Patriots HC Bill Belichick and the then 42-year-old who still has one more SB win in him. Call it a power conflict, but things became nasty between them at that time when Brady made his decision to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But now, after everything quieted down somehow, Tom Brady is here to break down the rumors. 

Tom Brady partly denies the rift with Bill Belichick 

Cajoled by Pat McAfee, Tom Brady comes clean about his past relationship with his former HC Bill Belichick in his recent appearance on ESPN YouTube. The 7x SB champ said, “Toward the later part of my career there was so much people just trying to create some division, that some of it, most of it was untrue, but it’s just the way the world works.” He also added, “Division from within the team is a big problem in his team environments.”

Tom Brady didn’t deny how much respect he has for his former HC. He said, “My respect for Bill Belichick is pretty well documented. He was an incredible leader and coach for our team and I tried to do my best every single day that I took the field. I knew that he did the same thing and I think that’s why I respected his coaching so much.” Even so, what was the real reason that Tom Brady left the Patriots in 2020, leaving Belichick with a 29-38 post-Brady record? 

The real reason Tom Brady left the Patriots

After Tom Brady’s contract with the Patriots was set to end after 2019, he went to the training camp with hopes of a possible contract extension. However, as per ESPN writer Seth Wickersham’s book called ‘It’s Better To Be Feared,’ his request didn’t just plead for an extension but also to allow him to deliver his input to the team. While owner Robert Kraft was willing to comply, Bill Belichick didn’t. 

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According to what Wickersham wrote in the book, “Belichick told associates that every organizational decision now was in support of Brady, geared toward pleasing him and making him successful and that Kraft meddled with the team.” It was also clear that “Brady was tired of taking team-friendly deals with no input into how the money saved was spent,” ultimately causing him to depart to Tampa Bay. 

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