New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick showed another glimpse of his human side Monday at the start of his press conference.

The typically surly Belichick lit up when he saw legendary ESPN host Chris Berman enter the media room Monday. Belichick gave Berman a round of applause, said the Patriots were being “graced” by Berman’s presence, and even went out of his way to give the ESPN host the first question.

You don’t see Belichick light up like that ever, really. Then again, the Patriots coach has been showing off a lighter side lately. Perhaps he’s just getting it out of the way before the regular season starts.

Berman does not make quite as many appearances on the NFL map these days, which is probably why Belichick was so pleasantly surprised to see him. The 67-year-old still hosts “NFL Primetime” on ESPN+, and recently made an appearance where he towered over his colleagues at the Home Run Derby.

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