Bill Belichick. Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick throws shade at Falcons during ‘ManningCast’ for not hiring him

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Sep 17, 2024 5:27 PM ET

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is definitely one to hold a grudge, and now Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank knows it.

During Monday’s matchup between the Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, Belichick joined Peyton and Eli Manning during their “ManningCast” broadcast, and late in the second quarter, the 72-year-old Belichick showed he has an extremely petty side.

On a second-and-10 just past midfield, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a pass intended for Darnell Mooney that ultimately fell incomplete. When Belichick saw which receiver dropped the ball, he couldn’t help himself from taking a shot at the team that nearly hired him during the offseason.

“Is that Mooney?” Belichick coyly asked. “Mooney is one of those three free agents they signed illegally — Mooney, Warner and then of course Cousins that they contacted early and they got fined for and lost a draft choice and all that.”

Both Peyton and Eli sat in awkward silence for a few seconds knowing full well exactly why Belichick brought up his interesting fact.

Bill Belichick making sure everyone knows that the #Falcons—the team that passed on him this offseason—illegally tampered to sign three free agents.

"They contacted early, got fined for it, lost a draft choice, and all that." pic.twitter.com/1Ydfm7PcTJ
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 17, 2024

Belichick was referring to the Falcons’ punishment from the NFL prior to the season starting in which they were fiend $250K and lost a 2025 fifth-round draft pick for tampering with the three aforementioned players before the start of free agency.

It was reported back in January that Belichick was heated after the Falcons passed him over for their vacant head-coaching job, a position he felt was all but his.

While Belichick seemingly brought it up to pour salt in Atlanta’s wound, if he had been the team’s head coach instead of Raheem Morris, there’s a better-than-not chance the team would’ve done the exact same thing given Belichick’s track record of thumbing his nose at the NFL’s rules and his nickname in league circles as “Beli-cheat.”

During his 24-year tenure with the Patriots, Belichick had six different instances where he and the Patriots were reprimanded by the NFL for some form of cheating, whether it be for filming the opposing team, deflating footballs or falsifying injury reports.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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