Belichick denies snub
Book alleges coach dodged Brady meet
FOXBORO -- Bill Belichick said Wednesday he didn’t want to address newly released excerpts from an upcoming tell-all book on the Patriots dynasty.
But Belichick denied the allegation he declined to meet Tom Brady in-person when Brady wanted to say goodbye upon leaving the franchise in March 2020 and instead insisted they speak on the phone.
“No, that’s not true,” Belichick said. “And I’ve heard a few things about this book, and it sounds like it’s a lot of second-, third- and fourth-hand comments. But I’m not going to get into that. I’m going to focus on this game, and try to prepare for this game.”
The book, “It’s Better to Be Feared,” will be released Oct. 12. Its author, ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham, has written and reported several times about Brady and the Patriots, including at the end of a tumultuous 2017 season when he uncovered internal discord within the organization. According to the book, Brady told confidants in 2017 he did not want to be coached by Belichick any longer.
Brady ultimately stayed two more years, winning a Super Bowl in February 2019 and playing his last game for the Patriots in a Wild Card playoff loss in January 2020. Brady’s fractured relationship with Belichick has been cited several times, including by the Herald, as a major reason why he chose to leave in free agency. However, Belichick claimed Wednesday their relationship is in fine shape.
“I think it’s good,” Belichick said. “It’s always been good.”
Among the other revelations released on ESPN.com was a detail that may help explain why former Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler was benched during the team’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles In February 2018.
From the excerpt: “In the lead-up to Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia traded heated words at practice over the former Super Bowl hero’s lack of effort. Butler was demoted. At the team party after New England’s loss, Butler responded to teammates asking why he was benched by saying, ‘These dudes,’ referring to the coaches, according to the book, ‘these mother f---ers.’”
Butler played just one special teams snap in Super Bowl LII after leading the team in defensive snaps during the regular season. The Patriots lost to the Eagles 4133, an upset caused by one of the worst defenses Belichick ever coached. Tom Brady set Super Bowl records that night, throwing for 505 yard while the Pats never punted.
A month after the Super Bowl loss, Butler told the Herald he could only speculate as to why he was benched.
“I never got a reason,” Butler said. “I feel like this was the reason: I got kind of sick. I went to the hospital. They probably thought I was kind of late on the game plan; I wasn’t as locked in as I should be and could have been a matchup deal. It could have been anything.”
The book also covers more serious controversies, including Spygate and Deflategate. According to Wickersham, months after the Patriots were caught illegally videotaping opponents’ signals in 2007, Belichick and former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini almost came to blows during the NFL’s annual league meetings.
From the excerpt: “After a dinner for head coaches, Julie Mangini, wife of Eric, bumped into Belichick and said hi, trying to ease tension after the post-Spygate fallout. Belichick blew her off, and when she told Eric what had happened, he charged across the room and needed to be held back by other coaches from swinging at Belichick. ‘Hey Bill, f--- you!’ Mangini yelled.”
The Patriots were subsequently docked a first-round draft pick and fined $250,000 for Spygate, while Belichick was fined $500,000, the maximum allowable fine per league rules and the largest ever levied against a coach. The Jets hired Mangini off the Patriots coaching staff and against Belichick’s will in January 2006. He lasted for three seasons as New York’s head coach, finishing 23-25.