A legendary period came to an end with a series of statements sent to the media. Bill Belichick traded in his trademark cutoff hoodie for a sport coat and tie as part of a free agency that would attract recruits. As Belichick longtime coach spoke first, team owner robert kraft stood beside him.
After a series of talks, robert and i have mutually agreed to separate,” belichick said. “this is a day of gratitude and celebration for me,” Belichick said of the krafts, his coaching staff, and especially his players, who have received more recognition than his outwardly gruff tenure did. “players win games in the NFL, and i’ve been very fortunate to coach some of the best players who have ever played,” Belichick said. “i respect the way players come to work here on a daily basis, all of whom, and i’ve trained well over 1,000 players. “we’ve had many that have been here for a long time and have made a great contribution,” he said. At this moment, there are too many to name, but a big thanks to the players.” belichick and kraft shook hands as kraft took over as belichick took over at the podium.
Kraft said that he and his longtime partner were the most productive in the nfl, and that he was supposed to answer questions later in the afternoon. “coach belichick will forever be remembered as a new england sports hero and, i believe, will be inducted as a pro football hall of famer on the first ballot. Why? because it is so simple. Because he is the greatest coach of all time, it makes this decision to split ways so difficult.
