It is no secret that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had a difficult time getting along during their final years together in Foxborough. The two future Hall of Famers may be unwilling to admit it publicly, but those close to Brady are willing.
Alex Guerrero, Brady’s longtime trainer and friend, spoke with Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald this week about Brady’s divorce from the New England Patriots. Guerrero confirmed the obvious, which was that Brady did not feel appreciated enough toward the end of his tenure with his former team. According to Guerrero, the seven-time Super Bowl champion felt he had earned special treatment and was not getting it from Belichick.
“The interesting thing I think there — and this is just me, an outsider looking in — it was like Bill never really … I think his emotions or feelings never evolved with age,” Guerrero said. “I think in time, with Tom, as Tom got into his late 30s or early 40s, I think Bill was still trying to treat him like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted.”
Belichick always tried to treat Brady like everyone else on the roster. That served Brady well throughout much of his career, and he spoke openly about how the approach made him better. However, he clearly grew tired of it after nearly two decades.
Guerrero added that Brady “should be treated differently” as an older player. He also contended that none of the other players in the locker room would have been bothered if Brady received special treatment. Guerrero even thinks Belichick changed his approach when Cam Newton signed with New England.
“It’s interesting, if you look at how Bill looks at some of these other players, it looks to me like he’s been able to modify or change a little bit,” Guerrero added. “Maybe he’s forced to. If you’re going to be a coach, a coach should be the one to modify or make changes.”
Brady and Belichick will meet in Week 4 in what is arguably the most highly anticipated NFL regular-season game of all time. As they have done throughout their careers, they will likely say all the right things leading up to the showdown, but if Brady tries to claim it is “just another game,” we already have proof that he is lying.
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