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The new Apple TV+ docuseries, The Dynasty, revealed some unknown insights about Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s relationship as brought to the forefront by Brady’s then-wife, Gisele Bündchen. In one of the episodes of the docuseries, the New England Patriots CEO, Robert Kraft, is in the limelight. 

His evaluation shows fans what happened behind the doors during the Kraft-Bündchen-Brady meeting. This opens up a broader discussion of how Brady and Belichick’s relationship strained over the years.   

Bündchen stood by Brady amidst the Patriots’ turmoil

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To “air out what was going on,” Kraft invited the then couple to his house in the spring of 2018. As seen in the episode, when enquiring about Brady’s visit to Kraft’s house, the quarterback refused to reveal anything, keeping things to himself. However, Kraft recounted, “I had Gisele say, ‘That Effing Belichick. He doesn’t treat my Tommy like a man.’ She thought Bill was disrespectful to Tommy and that it was time to move on. I realized how bad the situation was, and I said, ‘Look, Tommy, if you want to go, I’ll work it out so you can go.'”

via Imago

Brady remained tight-lipped about what transpired after the New England Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 Super Bowl. But Bündchen’s remark about the underlying tension between Brady and Belichick and Kraft’s support to help Brady move out of the Patriots shed light on the inner workings of the Patriots powerhouse.

Deteriorating bond between Brady and Belichick

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As pointed out by Jeff Benedict in his book The Dynasty“She also pointed out how ridiculous it was that after all these years, Belichick still treated Brady like ‘f—–g Johnny Foxboro.’ It was bad enough to never voice approval. It was bulls–t to still be dressing down the most accomplished quarterback in league history during team meetings and treating his personal trainer and best friend like some kind of outcast.” Hence, Belichick’s stoic demeanor and reluctance to praise Brady strained their relationship.

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Belichick’s authoritarian approach came to the forefront when he restricted Alex Guerrero, Brady’s trusted confidant and personal trainer, to the sideline. Reiterating his journey under the mentorship of Belichick, Brady claimed, “Me and coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together. But I wasn’t going to sign another contract [in New England] even if I wanted to play until [I was] 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign up for more of it.” 

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Even Brady’s Patriots mates like Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker had been vocal about how “brutally” Belichick treated Brady at the end. His sensitive personality led to growing angst between him and Belichick, which propelled Brady to sign a two-year deal of lesser value with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than his Patriots contract. 

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