It&#8217;s not too often you have President Donald Trump and LeBron James agreeing, but when it comes to Bill Belichick getting left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the two are very much on the same page.
Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl Championship head coach of the New England Patriots, is not a First-Ballot Hall-of-Famer, meaning the storied NFL coach didn&#8217;t get into the elite club the first year he was eligible.
&#8220;It is the same mindset that gave pro football the new and unwatchable &#8216;Sissy&#8217; Kickoff Rule, that made it possible for Bill Belichick to not be elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,&#8221; Trump said in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115972714460477814">post</a> on Truth Social. &#8220;Both are ridiculous and should be overturned!&#8221;
Sharing a similar sentiment, James aired his grievances about the HOF snub on X.
&#8220;Man there&#8217;s no way I read that right! Right? Ain&#8217;t no WAY Bill Belichick ain&#8217;t 1st Ballot HOF!!&#8221; James <a href="https://x.com/KingJames/status/2016301261113655646?s=20">said</a>. &#8220;That&#8217;s IMPOSSIBLE, EGREGIOUS, and quite frankly DISRESPECTFUL!&#8221;
The President and NBA legend were far from outliers on the issue. Belichick&#8217;s exclusion from the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year is puzzling to many. He has a total of eight Super Bowl rings, including the two he won as defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells.
Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes <a href="https://x.com/PatrickMahomes/status/2016285161659175134">called</a> the snub &#8220;insane,&#8221; adding that he could not &#8220;understand how this could be possible.&#8221;
Belichick didn&#8217;t meet the 40-vote threshold needed for induction into the Hall, per <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47747076/belichick-not-first-ballot-hall-famer">ESPN</a>. The outlet said Belichick was told directly from the Hall that he didn&#8217;t make it on Friday.
Belichick responded by saying, &#8220;Six Super Bowls isn&#8217;t enough?&#8221; when he heard the news, according to ESPN.
One source told ESPN that &#8220;politics&#8221; were involved in the snub. &#8220;Politics kept him out. He doesn&#8217;t believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments,&#8221; the source told ESPN. Belichick didn&#8217;t respond to the outlet&#8217;s request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Pro Football Hall of Fame did provide ESPN with a comment on Belichick&#8217;s ballot absence.
&#8220;The Pro Football Hall of Fame does not comment on the voting of the Selection Committee and awaits the unveiling of the Class of 2026 at &#8216;NFL Honors&#8217; on Feb. 5 in San Francisco,&#8221; a spokesperson said.
Voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame are mostly longtime NFL reporters. But other voters include former NFL general manager Bill Polian and legendary head coach Tony Dungy. They are both in the Hall of Fame.
Polian finds himself in the middle of this debacle as ESPN reported the former Colts and Bills GM allegedly told some voters he believed Belichick should &#8220;wait a year&#8221; before being inducted as punishment for Spygate.
Spygate was the 2007 cheating scandal directly tied to Belichick that involved illegally filming opponents&#8217; hand signals during games. The scandal cost the Patriots a first-round draft pick, Belichick was also fined $500,000, and the Patriots organization was also fined $250,000.
Spygate was not the only cheating scandal involving Belichick and the New England Patriots. In 2015, controversy erupted again for Belichick and the Patriots during the Deflategate scandal. The team was implicated for using under-inflated footballs during the AFC Championship game. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for 4 games for his involvement, and the organization was fined $1 million.
Regardless of the various scandals, Polian quickly changed his tune on Wednesday after that report circulated, telling ESPN that &#8220;he could not remember with 100% certainty if he voted for Belichick, saying he was 95% sure he voted for the coach.&#8221;
At least 11 voters of the 50 didn&#8217;t give Belichick his flowers this year. The coach will most definitely end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but will now have to wait, at least, another 365 days to get that coveted gold jacket.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also up for the Hall of Fame this year. Trump and Kraft have been longtime buddies, with Kraft even donating to Trump&#8217;s first inauguration.
We only know about Belichick&#8217;s ballot situation because of the ESPN story, but if Kraft is also left out of the Hall of Fame this year, Trump will most certainly have something else to say about that as well.

Illustration by Daily Wire staff

‘Ridiculous’: Trump Disgusted With Bill Belichick Hall Of Fame Snub

Trump Disgusted With Bill Belichick Hall Of Fame Snub

Bill Belichick

New England Patriots

News

Sports

Former NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick’s leap to college football got off to a hot start on Monday night, but it quickly devolved into an embarrassment as his North Carolina Tar Heels were stomped in front of a home crowd by Texas Christian University.
Belichick and the Tar Heels were among college football’s media darlings leading up to the opening week. The game attracted nationwide attention with a primetime slot on ESPN, and UNC legends Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, and Roy Williams were all in attendance to see Belichick coach his first game since parting ways with the New England Patriots in January 2024.
North Carolina got the ball first and came out hot, driving 83 yards down the field in just seven plays and opening up the game with a 7-0 lead. The drive had the Chapel Hill crowd rocking, but the excitement only lasted for a few minutes. At the end of the first quarter, TCU scored to tie the game, and North Carolina’s offense began sputtering. TCU closed out the first half by kicking two field goals and picking off UNC quarterback Gio Lopez and returning it for a touchdown.
UNC’s collapse continued into the second half as Belichick’s defense — coached by his son, Steve — was embarrassed multiple times when TCU’s running backs sprinted past defenders for long scoring plays. Fans began their mass exodus from Kenan Memorial Stadium in the third quarter after TCU’s defense struck again with a strip sack returned for a touchdown. Belichick’s college debut was officially spoiled with more than 18 minutes of game time remaining.
By the end of the third quarter, the Tar Heels were down 41-14, and the team gave up another touchdown in the fourth quarter, setting a school record for points allowed in a season opener. It was also the most points ever <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/bill-belichick-i-know-were-a-lot-better-than-that">surrendered</a> by a Belichick-coached team.
Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots between 2000 and 2023, said the Tar Heels have a lot to improve on, but added that he believes his team is a “lot better than that.” He also praised TCU’s performance.
“They were clearly the better team tonight,” Belichick <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401754523">said</a>. “They deserved to win and they did it decisively.”
On the other sideline, the TCU Horned Frogs believe they proved a point by quickly turning the attention away from Belichick and onto themselves.
“We wanted this game to be about us, and it was,” said TCU coach Sonny Dykes, according to ESPN.
“I think we all felt a little disrespected,” he added. “There was a lot of conversation about this game and none of it was about us.”

TCU v North Carolina

How Bill Belichick’s Hyped-Up College Coaching Debut Turned From Excitement To Complete Disaster

College Football

Football

University of North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Bill Belichick, 73, was spotted in the front row chatting with the father of his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, as she competed in the Miss Maine USA pageant over the weekend. Hudson ultimately came in third place as the second runner-up.
The former Bridgewater State University cheerleader came in second place during the same competition last year, and multiple outlets noted that Hudson looked visibly upset after the results were revealed. Her bodyguard issued a terse “She’s not answering” when reporters asked her for comment, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/05/11/us-news/jordon-hudson-sports-sour-look-on-her-face-after-failing-to-win-miss-maine-usa-pageant-in-front-of-bill-belichick/">the New York Post</a>. 
During the pageant, Hudson said, &#8220;I hope those watching this find the strength to push through whatever it is and embody that hate never wins.&#8221;
The New England native, who is the daughter of a fisherman, was also given the pageant&#8217;s style award on stage. Shelby Powell of Bangor won the regional event and will go on to represent Maine at the Miss USA contest.
Belichick and Hudson met in 2021 and went public with their romance in 2024. Their relationship has become the subject of renewed scrutiny following a CBS interview Belichick did to promote his new book, which included a clip of his girlfriend shutting down a line of questioning about their history. 
“We’re not talking about this,” Hudson snapped when interviewer Tony Dokoupil asked how they met. Video of that interaction quickly went viral.
Belichick subsequently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-belichick-accuses-cbs-of-selectively-editing-interview-to-make-younger-girlfriend-look-bad?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Bill+Belichick+Accuses+CBS+Of+%E2%80%98Selectively+Editing%E2%80%99+Interview+To+Make+Younger+Girlfriend+Look+Bad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued a statement</a> defending his girlfriend, saying he was “surprised when unrelated topics were introduced” and noting that he had requested that the interview not include any questions about his personal life. 
“[Hudson] was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track,” Belichick said. “The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative — that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation — which is simply not true.”
CBS News responded to the statement, saying, “When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview. There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation.”

Miss Maine USA competition

Bill Belichick Had A Front Row Seat As 24-Year-Old Girlfriend Falls Short At Beauty Pageant

Beauty Pageant

Entertainment

General

Maine

U.S.

Dave Portnoy is again weighing in on the viral Bill Belichick interview and fallout, saying there’s a “zero percent chance” Belichick wrote the statement accusing CBS News of &#8220;selectively editing.&#8221;
The Barstool Sports founder sat down with journalist Megyn Kelly to provide insight into the situation, adding that he knows the 73-year-old North Carolina head football coach and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, “personally.”
“He lives on Nantucket. I live on Nantucket. I&#8217;ve met Jordon, so it&#8217;s a very awkward thing to see,” Portnoy told Kelly on her Thursday podcast.  
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Dave Portnoy Tells Megyn New Details on Bill Belichick&#039;s Relationship with 24-Year-Old Girlfriend" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ib08734cRdc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;In my years following Bill Belichick, I would say my knowledge of him, there’s roughly zero percent chance he wrote that,” he said of the statement. “But he just doesn’t care generally what anyone thinks about him,” Portnoy continued. “So to go write that —  my guess would be Jordon wrote that.”
“I was not expecting this interview,” he added. “I was squirming. I don&#8217;t know what to expect. I don&#8217;t know what to think about it. It certainly was awkward … I don&#8217;t know why she&#8217;s so involved, I really don&#8217;t. I&#8217;ve met her. She&#8217;s nice enough, she&#8217;s running the whole show.” 
Portnoy said, “Every piece of Bill Belichick business goes through her … Like if that was maybe not in a romantic relationship, and that&#8217;s his PR manager … nobody&#8217;s blinking at that … It’s just a very awkward situation. The age gap is huge, clearly, but she runs the show.”
“It&#8217;s such a juxtaposition of a guy who seemingly had no media savvy, but was always just straightforward, no time for the media. Now, having his life run by a [24-year-old], it certainly it’s eye-opening for a guy like me,” he added.
“I also know I&#8217;m gonna run into them in Nantucket, and I&#8217;m gonna be carrying my watermelon out of Stop-and-Shop, and I don&#8217;t want it to be an awkward conversation,” Portnoy told Kelly.  “It went super viral. It&#8217;s all anybody&#8217;s talking about … because it&#8217;s just such a departure from how a sports fan page or fan everybody thought of Bill Belichick.”
Kelly said Hudson’s actions had entered the realm of “elder abuse” and gave her “Dr. Jill [Biden]” vibes. 
She said if the “situation were reversed” and it was an older woman dating a controlling younger man, “we’d be accusing him of elder abuse and asking whether he’s guilty of coercive control, and whether this woman is OK.”
Belichick released a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-belichick-accuses-cbs-of-selectively-editing-interview-to-make-younger-girlfriend-look-bad">statement</a> following the tense interview going viral, saying they had previously agreed to only discuss topics related to the book and not his relationship but those requests were “not honored.” 
“[Hudson] was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track,” he continued, saying the interview was “selectively edited” in an effort to “suggest a false narrative.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
My Sunday morning routine is always coffee and CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a feel good show. The opposite of controversial. So image my surprise this morning when they had the most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen. Like I was squirming in my seat <a href="https://t.co/1p6XjwsTfk">pic.twitter.com/1p6XjwsTfk</a>
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1916506436806312044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Belichick and Hudson

Dave Portnoy Says There’s A ‘0% Chance’ Bill Belichick Wrote Statement On Disastrous CBS Interview

Dave Portnoy Says There's A '0% Chance' Bill Belichick Wrote Statement On Disastrous CBS Interview 

CBS News

Celebrities

Dave Portnoy

Megyn Kelly

North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach Bill Belichick released a statement on Wednesday about the recent CBS interview that went viral, claiming the network &#8220;selectively edited&#8221; footage to make it appear as though his younger girlfriend was running the show.
Fans have reacted by saying that Jordon Hudson, 24, was overly controlling and refused to allow Belichick, 73, to answer some questions. 
The former general manager and head coach of the New England Patriots claimed the discourse surrounding the interview was a “false narrative.”
&#8220;Prior to this interview, I clearly communicated with my publicist at Simon &amp; Schuster that any promotional interviews I participated in would agree to focus solely on the contents of the book,&#8221; Belichick <a href="https://x.com/BrendanRMarks/status/1917639712530907465">said</a>. &#8220;Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview.&#8221;
Belichick said he was &#8220;surprised when unrelated topics were introduced&#8221; and claimed interviewer Tony Dokoupil brought up his romantic relationship “several times” when the topic of the interview was supposed to be promoting his new book.  
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
UNC football coach Bill Belichick has released a statement related to his viral CBS interview over the weekend: <a href="https://t.co/rlUysaAggX">pic.twitter.com/rlUysaAggX</a>
&mdash; Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendanRMarks/status/1917639712530907465?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;[Hudson] was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.&#8221;
Belichick added, &#8220;The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career. Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative — that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation — which is simply not true.&#8221;
The network responded to the statement, saying, &#8220;When we agreed to speak with Mr. Belichick, it was for a wide-ranging interview. There were no preconditions or limitations to this conversation.” 
Belichick has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bill-belichick-interview-goes-viral-after-his-24-year-old-girlfriend-calls-the-shots">roasted</a> after the release of the interview, which included Hudson snapping a terse, “We’re not talking about this,” when Dokoupil asked how they met. 
Many criticized the interview, which aired on CBS Sunday Morning, with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy writing, “My Sunday morning routine is always coffee and CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a feel good show. The opposite of controversial. So [imagine] my surprise this morning when they had the most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen. Like I was squirming in my seat.”
British broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote, “It was utterly excruciating. Mr Belichick needs a family or friend intervention asap.”
“I actually felt uneasy with his girlfriend,” another X user noted. “If he were my Dad, I’d be watching her very closely. She is definitely controlling the relationship &amp; is securing her financial future. It’s a bit creepy.”

Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson

Bill Belichick Accuses CBS Of ‘Selectively Editing’ Interview To Make Younger Girlfriend Look Bad

Bill Belichick Accuses CBS Of Editing Interview To Make 24-Year-Old Girlfriend Look Bad

interview

Media

Legendary football coach Bill Belichick, 73, is facing major backlash for comments made by his younger girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, 24, during a recent CBS interview to promote his new book. 
Interviewer Tony Dokoupil asked about Belichick’s relationship by hinting that fans have had different reactions to it, especially considering the 49-year age gap. When the interviewer asked Belichick how the couple met, Hudson, who was sitting nearby, jumped in with a stern, “We&#8217;re not talking about this.” 
Dokoupil turned to her and asked, “No?”
“No,” she repeated, which was followed by an awkward moment of silence between Belichick, Hudson, and Dokoupil.
In a voiceover during the CBS Sunday Morning segment, Dokoupil can be heard saying, “It’s a topic neither one of them is comfortable commenting on.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My Sunday morning routine is always coffee and CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a feel good show. The opposite of controversial. So image my surprise this morning when they had the most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen. Like I was squirming in my seat <a href="https://t.co/1p6XjwsTfk">pic.twitter.com/1p6XjwsTfk</a>
&mdash; Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) <a href="https://twitter.com/stoolpresidente/status/1916506436806312044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Footage of this moment has ignited a firestorm online, with clips of the awkward exchange going viral across social media. Many criticized the interview, with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy <a href="https://x.com/stoolpresidente/status/1916506436806312044">writing</a>, “My Sunday morning routine is always coffee and CBS Sunday Morning. It’s a feel good show. The opposite of controversial. So [imagine] my surprise this morning when they had the most awkward Bill Belichick interview I’ve ever seen. Like I was squirming in my seat.”
British broadcaster Piers Morgan <a href="https://x.com/piersmorgan/status/1916510418601750621?s=43&amp;t=BDz6oekueqrSVJ50bM62xw">wrote</a>, “It was utterly excruciating. Mr Belichick needs a family or friend intervention asap.”
“I actually felt uneasy with his girlfriend,” another X user <a href="https://x.com/cynmdmi/status/1916494314475057300">noted</a>. “If he were my Dad, I&#8217;d be watching her very closely. She is definitely controlling the relationship &amp; is securing her financial future. It&#8217;s a bit creepy.”
The incident quickly turned into meme fodder, with users linking together footage of Belichick’s infamous monotone press conferences alongside Hudson’s interruption. Many pointed out how Belichick, who has a reputation for taking a firm stance with the media, was now seemingly being told what to do by a romantic partner.
Commenters also questioned why Hudson was even involved in the interview. 
Belichick is currently promoting his new book, “The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football.”

Bill Belichick Interview Goes Viral After His 24-Year-Old Girlfriend Calls The Shots

'Utterly Excruciating': Bill Belichick Interview Goes Viral After His Girlfriend Calls The Shots

Rapper Snoop Dogg stole the show at the annual NFL Honors award show on Thursday, playfully poking fun at the 49-year age gap between former New England Patriots legendary head coach Bill Belichick, 72, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
Snoop performed a monologue at the pre-Super Bowl event in New Orleans, saying he&#8217;s been a “football fan for a long time” while reminiscing about how things used to be in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NFL</a>.
“I remember back when the Cowboys was [sic] good. I remember back when the Chiefs was [sic] bad,” Snoop said. “And I remember — what was it? Bill Belichick&#8217;s girlfriend wasn&#8217;t even born yet.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Bill Belichick&#8217;s girlfriend wasn&#8217;t even born yet.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SnoopDogg</a> didn&#8217;t hold back in his opening monologue 😅 <a href="https://t.co/xJ7Fh8isvX">pic.twitter.com/xJ7Fh8isvX</a>
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1887685988681482496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The coverage cut to the couple, showing Hudson’s jaw drop wide open in apparent shock while Belichick chuckled next to her.
Belichick arrived at the event wearing a maroon jacket and all six of his Super Bowl rings. In December, he accepted a head coaching position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
This isn&#8217;t the first time Hudson and Belichick have endured jokes about their sizable age gap. In May, during Netflix&#8217;s “The Roast of Tom Brady,” former Patriots players took some shots at their former coach.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bill Belichick hits the red carpet.
📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLHonors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFLHonors</a> on FOX &amp; NFLN 
📱: Stream on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLPlus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFLPlus</a> <a href="https://t.co/GIEC0u4NDW">pic.twitter.com/GIEC0u4NDW</a>
— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1887669111594897648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Coach, you used to talk about Foxborough High School when we sucked,&#8221; <a href="https://athlonsports.com/nfl/bill-belichick-24-year-old-girlfriend-addresses-burn-wounds-tom-brady-roast">said</a> Rob Gronkowski, who played for Belichick for nine seasons. &#8220;But now I know why you were so obsessed with Foxborough High School: you were scouting your new girlfriend.&#8221;
Brady, who won six Super Bowls under Belichick, added, &#8220;Everybody asks me which [Super Bowl] ring is my favorite, I used to say &#8216;the next one,'&#8221; the former quarterback said. &#8220;But now that I am retired, my favorite Ring is the camera that caught Coach Belichick slinking out of that poor girl’s house a few months ago. Hey, you still got it. Respect baby.&#8221;
Hudson is a former cheerleader and the 2024 Miss Maine USA pageant&#8217;s first runner-up, per <a href="https://pagesix.com/entertainment/who-is-jordon-hudson-bill-belichick-girlfriend/">Page Six</a>. The couple reportedly met on a flight in 2021 and began dating in 2023. 
Belichick was previously married to Debby Clarke from 1977 until 2006 and has three children with her. Next, he was in a long-term relationship with Linda Holliday from 2007 until 2023.

WATCH: Snoop Dogg Ribs Bill Belichick And His 24-Year-Old Girlfriend Over Age Gap

Snoop Dogg

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft reportedly called Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and warned him to not trust former Patriots coach <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/bill-belichick" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bill Belichick</a>.
The January call, reported by <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39955777/how-patriots-legend-bill-belichick-end-nfl-job" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN</a> on Wednesday, played a major role in why the Falcons decided not to hire Belichick and instead opted to hire Raheem Morris.
Blank and Belichick met just a few days after Belichick was let go by the Patriots after coaching there for nearly a quarter century.
The job interview, which happened on Blank&#8217;s Yacht in the Caribbean, left Blank very impressed, the report said.
Blank&#8217;s view of Belichick changed after Blank decided to call Kraft, who is considered to be his closest friend among NFL owners.
&#8220;Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick&#8217;s character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, &#8216;Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill.&#8217; That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.&#8221;
&#8220;One source close to Belichick said Kraft &#8216;was a big part&#8217; of why the Falcons passed on hiring him,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;The sources said Kraft made clear to Blank that &#8216;you&#8217;ll never have a warm conversation with&#8217; Belichick, echoing what Bill Parcells told Kraft in 1996 when he wanted to bust the budget and hire Belichick. &#8216;Blank likes coaches who feel part of a family,&#8217; a Falcons source said, &#8216;and it wasn&#8217;t going to be that way with Bill.'&#8221;
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Kraft had been unhappy with Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with the team, for months and did not trust him because he believed that Belichick was responsible for leaking stories.
&#8220;[Kraft] found Bill to be extremely difficult and obstinate and kind of stubborn and, in the end, not worthy of his trust,&#8221; a source told ESPN. &#8220;And also very, very, very arrogant.&#8221;
The source said that the Kraft family felt &#8220;betrayed&#8221; by Belichick, but did not think that Kraft would try to harm the coach.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;d try to help him either,&#8221; the source added. &#8220;They weren&#8217;t going to try to sink him. He was finished as an effective head coach. Just look at his last four years in New England. A disaster. &#8230; If you&#8217;re Arthur Blank, why do you want the headaches?&#8221;

AMFOOT-NFL-PATRIOTS-BELICHICK

Bill Belichick Not Hired By Atlanta Falcons After Patriots Owner Warned Falcons Owner: Report

Atlanta

Robert Kraft

MixCollage-12-Jan-2024-09-54-AM-7217

The Wildest Coaching Carousel In Football History: Here’s Who’s Retired, Been Fired, And Hired 

Nick Saban

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Bill Belichick is out as head coach of the New England Patriots after 24 years and leading the team to nine Super Bowl trips and six rings.
The veteran coach took to the podium on Thursday and told members of the <a href="https://x.com/Patriots/status/1745490547303686547?s=20">press</a> he would be a Patriot forever as he thanked the fans and the organization, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39285303/bill-belichick-leaving-patriots-24-seasons-sources-say">ESPN</a> reported.
&#8220;[Patriots owner] Robert [Kraft] and I, after a series of discussions, have mutually agreed to part ways,&#8221; Belichick said. &#8220;For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration.&#8221;
&#8220;We had a vision of building a championship football team that has exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I&#8217;m very proud of that. I&#8217;ll always have those great memories, I&#8217;ll carry those with me the rest of my life.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
LIVE: Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick media availability 1/11: <a href="https://t.co/A3htiZoUin">https://t.co/A3htiZoUin</a>
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) <a href="https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1745490547303686547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2024</a></blockquote>
&#8220;It&#8217;s with so many fond memories and thoughts that I think about the Patriots, and I&#8217;ll always be a Patriot,&#8221; Belichick continued. &#8220;I look forward to coming back here, but at this time, we&#8217;re going to move on. And I&#8217;m excited for the future.”
Kraft followed Belichick at the press conference and said, &#8220;This is a move that we mutually agreed that is needed at this time. What Bill accomplished, in my opinion, will never be duplicated.&#8221;
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&#8220;Coach Belichick will forever be celebrated as a legendary sports icon here in New England, and I believe go in as a Pro Football Hall of Famer on the first ballot,&#8221; Kraft added. &#8220;Why? Because he is the greatest coach of all time. Which makes this decision to part ways so hard.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39285303/bill-belichick-leaving-patriots-24-seasons-sources-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Belichick</a> will undoubtedly be in the NFL Hall of Fame for the incredible run he had in New England, which includes six Super Bowl titles, 333 career victories (including playoffs), second only to Don Shula’s 347, and nine conference championships, the most by a head coach in the Super Bowl era.
Speculation that Belichick&#8217;s reign in New England would end has been trickling out all week as reports surfaced that the coach and Kraft had met several times throughout the week.
Belichick leaves the team after a dismal season as New England finished with a 4-13 record. Since the Super Bowl-winning QB <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tom-brady-posts-cryptic-quote-about-betrayal-after-gisele-bundchen-breaks-silence-on-their-divorce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Brady</a> left the Patriots after the 2019 season, the Patriots have had a losing record three of the last four years, ESPN noted.

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Bill Belichick Leaves New England Patriots After 24 Years

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Superbowl

Tom Brady

Iconic NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who just announced his retirement, spoke of his long-time coach Bill Belichick, with whom he won six Super Bowls, revealing that he gave Belichick permission to chew his butt in front of teammates in order to set an example.
Belichick joined Brady’s SiriusXM podcast, “Let’s Go,” where they reminisced about old times and noted Belichick’s talent for creating an egalitarian structure for the team.
“That was as much a part of Tom as it was me,” Belichick <a href="https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2023/02/bill-belichick-ripped-tom-bradys-expletive-because-of-bobby-knight-michael-jordan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, as Mass Live reported. “There were a couple meetings where I would say something to Tom after the meeting. Like, ‘Hey, I didn’t really think that was that bad, but I just wanted to include you in there with everyone else.’”
“Tom would say, ‘Coach, you have to. If you don’t yell at me, then what am I going to do with all the rest of my teammates?” Belichick continued. “I’ve gotta be in there with all the rest of them and say, ‘Hey, he’s yelling at all of us and we’ve all gotta do better.’ But if you leave me out of it, then I don’t really have a platform to work from. So yeah, go ahead and rip my ass, too. Go ahead.’ I got the green light on that, so I went ahead and took it.”
“Players, they’d always come back to me and say, ‘Hey, the first meeting Belichick got on Brady. I’m like, Christ, if he’s going to talk to Brady like that I’d better be straight. I know what’s going to happen to me,’” Belichick added.
Belichick said he got the idea from legendary basketball coach Bobby Knight when Knight coached the 1984 Olympic basketball team led by Michael Jordan.
“Where I got that from was Coach (Bobby) Knight, because Coach Knight told me that’s what he did with Michael Jordan on the Olympic team,” Belichick recalled. “He said, ‘Michael, I’m going to rip your (expletive) because I can’t rip some of those other guys without ripping you.’ Jordan said, ‘Bring it on, because I need that and it’ll help me with my teammates.’”
Jordan, who played for another legendary coach, Dean Smith, at the University of North Carolina, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/glory-days-excerpt-summer-1984-foreshadowed-michael-jordan-nba-greatness-usa-basketball-bob-knight">joked</a>, “The only different thing is the vocabulary. From Coach Smith I learned the four-corner offense. From Coach Knight I learned the four-letter word.”
Belichick <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/patriots-bill-belichick-lauds-tom-brady-reminisces-coaching-greatest-player.amp">summed up</a> Brady’s contribution on the field: “The greatest player, the greatest career. A great, great person. It was such an opportunity and an honor for me to coach Tom. I guess it’s gotta end at some point. But it’s the greatest one ever. So, congratulations, Tom.”

New England Patriots Practice

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'Rip My A**': Tom Brady Recalls Advice He Gave To Bill Belichick

With six Super Bowl wins to his credit, Bill Belichick will most likely go down as the greatest head coach in NFL history, and deservedly so.
Fast forward to today, though, and I feel confident in saying that Belichick is on his way out and will never win another Super Bowl. I am not saying he will be fired &#8211; his team did make the playoffs last year &#8211; but he has earned the right to leave the NFL in his own way.
It seems Belichick is still trying to win the same way he did with Tom Brady. And early returns are showing that it isn&#8217;t going to work.
Brady proved he could be surrounded by average weapons and still elevate everyone&#8217;s game. They were able to generate enough points to be effective during normal and crunch times.
Belichick has relied on good defense, elite special teams, and a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback to help him secure a dynamic legacy. It seems the only mountain he has left to conquer is being able to win the big one: post-Tom Brady.
Brady, on the other hand, went down to Tampa Bay and won another ring &#8211; and came close to playing for another &#8211; so it wasn&#8217;t just being in the Belichick system that made Brady the player that he is.
The stubbornness of using the same formula is proving to not always be the best way to go about things.
Belichick wants to leave a legacy that’s separate from being lucky enough to have Tom Brady as his star player. He wants his legacy to be his system &#8211; a system that has not only created Super Bowl winners, but also produced the best quarterback who ever lived.
Every coach and player who makes it to this level has to have some sort of ego, and while it varies from person to person, the most successful people in this business usually have a pretty big one.
One could even go as far as saying the biggest dragon Belichick has left to slay is Tom Brady.
We always say what makes Nick Saban so great is his ability to be malleable as the game changes over time. Saban used to have the same identity as Belichick, but he realized that paces of the offense and the rule changes will affect one’s success — so he changed his style. Will Belichick do the same?
To this point, he hasn’t, and I don’t see that happening any time soon. Asking Mac Jones to win the same way Brady did is not only unfair, it isn&#8217;t going to work. Mac is going to be a good quarterback, but he is not and will never be Tom Brady.
It seems Belichick is going even further outside of the box by letting defensive coordinator and former head coach Matt Patricia become an offensive coordinator. 
The Patriots continue to deprive Jones of legitimate playmakers who can make his job easier, while trying to rebuild what is usually a stout defense — especially in the back end.
Patriots fans are not satisfied with just making the playoffs and don&#8217;t want to fall back into obscurity because their winningest coach wants to make it about his system and not the signal caller.
We may just find out that Belichick was more of a system coach than Brady was a system quarterback.
None of this diminishes all that Belichick has accomplished as a head coach. There is, however, one common denominator in all of the Super Bowls wins by the future Hall of Fame coach: Tom Brady. 
Without Brady, it seems like the ride is over.
Jake Crain is co-host of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/crain-and-company">&#8220;Crain &amp; Company.&#8221;</a> the Daily Wire&#8217;s sports show, also featuring co-hosts Blain Crain and David Cone.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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