Bill Belichick and Tom Brady will go down as the greatest head coach-quarterback tandem in the history of the National Football League.
The two won a whopping six Super Bowl titles during 20 years together with the New England Patriots before Brady left the organization ahead of the 2020 season.
Now that Tom Terrific has officially announced his retirement from the NFL after 22 seasons, Belichick has decided to pay homage to his former quarterback in a statement.
As with everything Belichick does when it comes to the media, the statement was short and sweet, via the Patriots' official website:
"I am privileged to have drafted and coached Tom Brady, the ultimate competitor and winner. Tom’s humble beginning in professional football ultimately ended with him becoming the best player in NFL history. Tom consistently performed at the highest level against competition that always made him the number one player to stop.
"His pursuit of excellence was inspirational. Tom was professional on and off the field, and carried himself with class, integrity, and kindness. I thank Tom for his relentless pursuit of excellence and positive impact on me and the New England Patriots for 20 years."
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick: The dynasty
Those were kind words from Mr. Belichick. He talks about Brady’s presence in New England, both on the field and off the field.
Part of Brady’s decision to retire had to do with his family and being closer to his children. He just didn’t feel the same commitment to the NFL that had defined his historic 22-year run in the league.
It’s safe to say Belichick touched on that in his own way.
As noted, this pairing will go down as the greatest in NFL history. Perhaps, the greatest in professional sports history.
During his two-decade run with the Pats, Brady posted a 219-64 regular-season record. He led the organization to six titles and nine Super Bowl appearances during that span. It was an amazing run for Belichick and Brady in New England.
More must-reads: