Former Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore said he ‘almost cried’ after Bill Belichick did this
"I almost cried, how he did it. I ain’t going to lie to you. I went to the bathroom like, ‘Man.’”
Stephon Gilmore left quite a legacy over his four seasons in New England.
The star cornerback earned two All-Pro nods over that stretch in Foxborough, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 while also playing a key role in New England’s Super Bowl title in 2018.
But for all of his production out on the field, Gilmore was apparently not spared from Bill Belichick’s wrath during film sessions.
During a recent appearance on James White’s “Money Down” podcast, Gilmore said that Belichick did not hold back during one video breakdown after he signed on with the team in 2017.
“(Belichick) killed me. He killed me one day,” Gilmore said. “It was when I first got there. I was pressed down on a receiver. It was a bunch route. All of us were on the same level and I got picked. I got picked. He killed me in the next meeting. I almost cried, how he did it. I ain’t going to lie to you. I went to the bathroom like, ‘Man.’”
Despite Belichick’s blunt commentary, Gilmore added that the tough love was something that he benefited from en route to developing into one of the league’s top corners during his time with the Patriots.
“I’ll tell you one thing: I ain’t never got picked again after that (expletive),” Gilmore added.
As exacting as Belichick might have been as a head coach, it played a crucial role in helping New England establish a two-decade dynasty.
“Saturday night we were so prepared and so focused. We were the opposite of tight,” Tom Brady said of the Patriots’ prep work under Belichick during an appearance on FS1 in June 2024. “We were always relaxed because we had the answers to the test.”
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