When Bill Belichick came to New England, the Patriots just wrapped up their mediocre 8-8 season, and he came with just one intention. To turn the struggling franchise into a powerhouse. Six Super Bowl titles, 17 division championships, and a dynasty that lasted nearly two decades. And he achieved that all with one man—a sixth-round, 199th overall pick quarterback from Michigan of the 2000 NFL draft, Tom Brady.

However, now that Brady has hung up his cleats and transitioned into a Fox analyst, and Belichick has joined the UNC as their next head coach, the NFL GOAT just revealed the reason behind leaving the Patriots for the Bucs. He described it as a “creeping decision” that lingered in the back of his mind for 2–3 years. By March 2020, it became clear: a split was inevitable.

Brady said, “The reality was, after twenty years together, a natural tension had developed between where Coach Belichick and I were headed in our careers and where the Patriots were moving as a franchise.” The interesting part? Well, that didn’t stop Belichick from acknowledging Brady’s accuracy and decision-making skills. On Sunday, Belichick sat down with “CBS Mornings” Tony Dokoupil and talked about Brady and his upcoming book, “The Art of Winning.”

When Dokoupil hit him with, “What did you see in Tom Brady that everybody else missed? Because he wasn’t the fastest, he wasn’t the strongest, he didn’t blow you away with his athleticism.” Belichick confessed to the decision he made more than a couple of decades ago. “Well, two things really. He was accurate, and he was a very good decision-maker. He got better every single day,” Belichick said. 

And get this, when Belichick talks about Brady’s accuracy and decision-making skills, he isn’t talking the talk. In fact, Belichick was the reason behind Brady’s accuracy and good decision-making, as he had Brady go through drills during practice sessions. So, one time, Belichick had the equipment staff disrupt Brady’s throws during practice—basically, trying to mess up his rhythm. Belichick wanted to see how Brady would handle the pressure of distractions.

And, true to form, Brady didn’t even blink. He offered the staff $200 to ensure they didn’t bat down a single pass during the session. The result? Well, he just kept throwing darts, right on target. Just like that. And speaking of his decision-making? How can we forget the Super Bowl LI between the Patriots and the Falcons—the largest comeback in Super Bowl history?

The Patriots were down 28–3 in Super Bowl LI, and it seemed like they were toast and the game was far from reach. But then Brady flipped the switch. He threw for 466 yards, leading the team to 25 unanswered points and forcing overtime. The result? 34–28. New England won, marking the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. That was Tom Brady for you.

However, speaking about his new book, “The Art of Winning,” Belichick confessed that he’ll not include Robert Kraft’s name in his book.

Bill Belichick doesn’t include Robert Kraft’s name in his book

Picture this: it’s January 27, 2000, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft receives a letter from Bill Parcells, the former Jets head coach. It’s a letter that changes the entire direction of the franchise. Parcells and Kraft had a late-night conversation, in which Parcells agreed to let Kraft talk to Jets defensive coordinator Bill Belichick about any position they desired. However, Parcelles had one condition.

If Belichick accepts the position from Kraft and the Patriots, and reports to work on or before January 31, 2000, the Jets are ready to swap some draft picks—basically, a first-round pick and a couple of later ones swapped hands. The result? Bill Belichick joined the Patriots as their new head coach, and the rest is history.

However, things changed in 2024 when Belichick left the Patriots after recording the worst season of his career (4-13). Right after that happened, Belichick and Robert Kraft decided to part ways mutually. And that, folks, is how Belichick wrapped up his 24-season stint with the Patriots. Now that he’s set to launch his book, Belichick has admitted that he will not include Kraft’s name in it.

“I have to ask about Robert Kraft because 24 years together, six Super Bowls. Unless I’m wrong, he’s not in this book,” Belichick told Tony Dokoupil. When Dokoupil asked the reason behind his decision, Bill said, “He’s not. Well, again, it’s about my life lessons in football, and it’s really more about the ones that I experience directly.” 

To make it spicier, when Tom hit him with the question of whether the Patriots’ owner was in the acknowledgement section, the former Patriots’ head coach declined to provide any such information in his book. But let’s be real—the man served as the Patriots’ head coach and led his team to six Super Bowl titles. So it’s safe to say that Belichick was treated with dignity and respect while leaving New England. And he just confirmed it when Dokoupil asked, “Do you feel like you were treated with dignity and respect when you were let go by Robert Kraft?”

“Yeah, well, it was a mutual decision for us to part ways. He said fired. It was a mutual decision,” Belichick said. Fast forward to now, and after serving in Foxborough for 24 years, Bill Belichick is serving as the head coach of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.