Bill Belichick is pursuing TV opportunities, according to his son Steve Belichick
Steve Belichick discussed his father's future among other topics during an appearance on Chris Long's podcast.
It’s been a little more than a month since Bill Belichick and the Patriots parted ways, and the 71-year-old coach is now looking into opportunities other than being an NFL head coach according to his son Steve Belichick.
Steve, who left the Patriots to become defensive coordinator at the University of Washington earlier this month, discussed his father’s future and other topics during an appearance on the “Green Light” podcast, which is hosted by former Patriots defensive end Chris Long.
The younger Belichick spoke about why he accepted the position at Washington, his relationship with new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo, and his experience working with recently retired 10-time Pro Bowl special teamer Matthew Slater.
Here are five takeaways from the conversation.
Bill Belichick is pursuing a television gig.
Near the end of Belichick’s segment, Long asked the 36-year-old coach how his father was handling the breakup with the Patriots.
“Yeah, I think he’s good, you know?” Belichick said. “You let the stuff roll off your back and move forward. He doesn’t dwell unless we lost the game and need to get on some guys, but eventually you’ve got to turn the page. Honestly I wasn’t too involved in any of that stuff. He did his thing, I do my thing and that was kind of that.”
Belichick said that his father is looking at getting a media job. He also threw in some sarcasm, joking that the elder Belichick might consider joining Long’s podcast.
“He’s definitely pursuing some other kind of stuff whether it’s TV or a regular on the Green Light or whatever,” Belichick said.
Belichick said he was pleased to see his father’s personality shine through during an appearance on College Gameday when Gillette Stadium hosted the Army-Navy game this fall.
The former Patriots head coach, who appeared as a guest picker, brought his own headgear to the set. He placed a 1962 Navy football helmet on his head when he picked the Midshipmen.
“In my head, I’m like I hope he just goes out and is himself and shows his personality a little bit,” Steve Belichick said. “Which he doesn’t do most of the time unless you’re in the building. Once you’re in the building, you see the things he likes to say. You kind of get a sense of his humor. He does (expletive) like that a lot, but no one ever sees it. So, I was happy that at least people was see a better side of him that not a lot of people see.”
Steve Belichick wants to forge his own path.
Belichick said he only knew two people at Washington when he decided to take the job: head coach Jedd Fisch, who served as the Patriots quarterbacks coach in 2020, and Vinnie Sunseri, who was on the Patriots’ staff the past four seasons.
The former Patriots linebackers coach said his relationship with Fisch played a role in his decision to take the job.
“We kept in touch, he gave me the opportunity, and I just ran with it,” Belichick said.
Belichick, who spent 12 seasons on his father’s staff in New England, said he’s looking forward to forging his own path as a coach.
“I grew up with my dad. We talked about this last time, being the son, you’re always kind of in the shadow. When he left Cleveland, I was like eight and so ever since then I’ve tried to not be him. I want to be Steve, I don’t want to be Bill.”
A close relationship with Jerod Mayo
Belichick and Mayo coached linebackers together for four seasons with the Patriots, but their relationship began years before when Mayo was a player.
“Me and Jerod go way back,” Belichick said. “When he was on [injured reserve] a couple years, he was interested in what I was doing as a [quality control coach].”
“Then, he took a couple years off and went to corporate,” Belichick added. “Then he came back in 2019. I was coaching safeties that year but the following year we started coaching linebackers together. We just had a really close relationship in New England.”
Matthew Slater’s impact on Patriots locker room
Matthew Slater, who is second on the Patriots’ all-time list for most games played, announced his retirement last Tuesday.
Belichick praised Slater, who spent all 16 years of his NFL career with the Patriots, for his impact on the locker room.
“You can’t say enough good things about him. On the field, off the field, training, spending a ton of time in the building. Mentoring young players, bringing along older players who may be going through something. You can’t say enough about Slate.”
“You know those sweatshirts that we all wore from the last game of the year?” Belichick continued. “I’m not exactly sure where they came from but they were in everybody’s locker and it was just like, ‘oh, here it is,’ and we all wanted to support Slate and everything he’s done. Honestly he left an impact on everybody in some way shape or form. I’ll always appreciate him and where he came from and where he got to.”
How does Bill Belichick like to spend his free time?
At the moment, Bill Belichick probably has more free time than he did when he was coaching the Patriots.
Long asked the younger Belichick about what his father likes to do in his spare time.
“I would say his hobby would still be to critique football,” Belichick said. “He was excited when I came out here because he got to evaluate the scheme last year, evaluate the players last year, and I’m sure he’ll come out here to do some stuff. The guy just loves football, so there’s definitely that element.”
“He does, obviously in Nantucket, swimming, paddleboarding, and biking, all that type of stuff on the island,” Belichick added. “He does that stuff. Maybe he’ll have a couple cocktails. I don’t know.”
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