Bill Belichick is known for having a disciplined and strict culture with the New England Patriots. Many outsiders have criticized the longtime coach in recent years for being too serious and not allowing his players to have enough fun. Belichick’s thoughts on that narrative remain unchanged.
Belichick was once again asked on Friday about the idea that fun is not allowed in New England. His initial response was that “the fun comes in winning.” He then mentioned how he has had a lot of “light moments” with players over the years.
“I’ve taken my share of jabs from (Mike) Vrabel and Matt Light and (Julian Edelman) and (Junior) Seau — you can go right down the line,” Belichick said. “That’s part of being a team and part of the relationship is being able to work together. There’s certainly a lot of light moments, but there are more of them when you’re winning.”
Belichick is definitely not an easy coach to play for, but he isn’t the authoritarian that people think he is. If that was the case, we would hear criticisms of the so-called “Patriot Way” from more than a few disgruntled and jealous players.
One Patriots player had the perfect response to the “no fun” talk after the team won the Super Bowl a few years back. Belichick may lose some of that luster with Tom Brady gone, but his résumé is always going to back him up. If you want to focus on football and have a chance to win, New England is as good a place as any to do it.
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