‘Always a great respect’: Tom Brady reflects on playing for Bill Belichick
"Sometimes, to have a little bit of fear in people is a good thing."
Over the years, many have tried to divide Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
When they’re asked about the topic themselves, they’ve consistently praised the other and refuted that there’s any friction between the two.
Speaking on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” on Thursday, Brady raved about his former head coach.
Cowherd likened Belichick’s approach as a coach to having to be a “tough parent” as a dad. He asked Brady if there’s a warmth now that wasn’t possible while amid a dynasty.
Brady grinned and said there’s an intensity to their jobs that naturally shaped their relationship.
“We’ve always had a great relationship,” Brady said. “We still do. I know there was a lot of things later in my career that people would say, to try to create division. I think there was always a great respect for each other.”
Brady said he viewed Belichick as someone he was “trying to please” on the field. Both were looking to do whatever they could to benefit the team.
“Were there times where we didn’t see everything eye to eye? Yeah, but that’s 20 years of a relationship,” Brady said. ” … I’m not characterizing our relationship based on a few moments that weren’t perfect for either of us. We had as great a relationship as you could have over a long period of time.”
He said there’s no coach he would have rather played for, adding that Belichick taught him so much.
Brady agreed with Cowherd that the role of a head coach is very much like that of a parent. If a child isn’t performing well, and his or her grades are below standard, the parent has to let the kid know. If they are putting forth the effort, the parent has to tell them that as well, Brady said.
He said there’s a “sophistication” to being a good parent today.
“Sometimes, to have a little bit of fear in people is a good thing,” Brady said. “People should have to wake up and go, ‘Oh, God. I’ve got to go do a good job today, or else.’ I think that’s very motivating.”
Brady expressed displeasure with the concept that people in today’s society are rewarded for bad behavior and for being selfish. He said he loved playing against those types of players and never wanted to play alongside them.
He said the culture he was part of in New England embraced the team-first attitude. It led to championships, but it also yielded relationships with teammates that went above and beyond the football field.
“I have looked back on those moments as the best moments of my life, outside of being a parent, as the things that have shaped me into who I am today,” Brady said.
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