While it's been all sunshine and rainbows between the two over the last several years, the split between quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick with the Patriots in March 2020 was rumored to be an ugly one.
Heading into unrestricted free agency following the 2019 season, Brady decided to break the 20-year bond he had built with New England and opted to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He explained in a recent edition of his "199" newsletter—and confirmed the tension with his former coach.
"The reality was," wrote Brady, "after twenty years together, a natural tension had developed between where Coach Belichick and I were headed in our careers, and where the Patriots were moving as a franchise. It was the kind of tension that could only be resolved by some kind of split or one of us reassessing our priorities."
He went on to divulge that his decision to continue his playing career in Tampa was made based on a list of about 20 things that he weighed on a scale of 1 to 3 in terms of importance. This included skill players, head coach, weather, and financial compensation among others.
"In the end," Brady finished, "I chose Tampa, almost exactly five years ago now, because, in the aggregate, it graded out higher than New England along those twenty or so dimensions. It’s not much more complicated than that."
Brady went on to throw for an additional 14,000+ yards and 108 touchdowns in a Buccaneers uniform while also winning Super Bowl LV—his seventh—with the club.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tom Brady Confirms the 'Tension' That Led to His Split with Bill Belichick, Patriots.