article link: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39955777/how-patriots-legend-bill-belichick-end-nfl-job
A quick piece from the article:
'But in a conversation with Blank, Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick's character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, "Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill." That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.
Multiple sources said that Kraft spoke with "some candor" to Blank about Belichick, though the sources declined to elaborate. One source close to Belichick said Kraft "was a big part" of why the Falcons passed on hiring him.'
So Kraft fires the most succesfull coach in NFL history, says they departed as a 'good marriage', yet behind people's back he talks shit about Bill. After the doc this is a new low for Kraft.
34 comments
Wickersham with another hit piece on the patriots. F that guy. ESPN lies.
Could Kraft look any worse at this point? Jesus.
Wait we’re back to liking espn? Cant keep up with you guys?
Wow that quote is actually insane. Kraft literally called Blank and helped sabotage Bill going there.
Kraft’s speed running of ruining his legacy is really something. Can’t believe he ever thought he’d win the fan’s approval over Belichick but it’s becoming clear that he’s always been delusional and out of touch. Brady and BB managed to win despite a total clown show ownership situation.
Can’t stand this guy anymore man, never liked him
I was of the mindset it was time to move on from Bill, still think it was the right move. However, that does not change him being the GOAT HC and Kraft should be kissing this mans feet for everything he has done for us.
That old geriatric fuck can eat the absolute fattest of dicks at this point. Absolutely no respect left for that man.
I really hope this isn’t true. That’s vile. Sabotaging another person’s chance especially from a billionaire’s position is pretty fucked.
Kraft came off as so disingenuous in the Dynasty. His personality is so “salesy” and superficial.
He’s the type of guy to say something that sounds so personal and specific to you, but then you overhear him saying the exact thing to someone else.
Everyone is “like a son” to him. Fucking bullshit.
Does anyone else feel like this is equivalent to a couple breaking up and one of them won’t shut up about it?
Like even IF the other person sucks, we get so sick of hearing about it, we eventually default to taking the asshole’s side.
You knew who he was. He didn’t change. Now you’re mad that he didn’t change. Time to just shut up and walk away.
It seems like Krafts efforts to distance himself from Bill and prove he’s not the problem are mostly all tied to a desire to be in the HOF before he dies.
The funny/pathetic/sad part about actions like these is he’s more than likely damaging his chances more and more with each hit piece that pops up. Whether it’s something like The Dynasty or shit like this. Hubris is a strange thing.
Thunder taking Ls left and right, Karma is indeed a bitch.
Kraft honestly deserves to be booed by Pats fans any time he has a mic in his hand. Fuck that guy. He basically blames Belichick for any shortcomings the team has ever had when he’s an equal part of the equation.
Yes, I’m sure that Blank didn’t hire BB not because he was an old ass coach that wanted full control of a team, even though the last team he fully controlled became a losing dumpster fire solely due to his garbage gm and coaching decisions, but because Kraft said mean things. Anything to make your God look better, right?
Sell the Team
Hopefully Belichick fires back with something juicy. Also, probably a dumb move by Blank to just make his decision off what Kraft said. Wouldnt trust that greasy marmot with anything.
I really hope this isn’t true because this is absolutely inexcusable. You don’t like the guy (after working with him for 25 years), fine, but don’t sabotage his chances at a new job. That’s just petty.
Do you guys think that Belichick would even come to Gillette to get inducted into the Pats Hall of Fame at this point?
Sure seems like Kraft is trying to guarantee he never gets a job again so he can’t get the record. That and the dynasty documentary would surely make me bitter if I were Bill.
If there is any proof, I’m pretty sure that opens up the possibility of a lawsuit
So will the boo rain down on Kraft on the next event? Imagine how he would feel getting the Roger godell boos raining down on him at TB12 patriot’s HOF this June.
I would love to hear and see it
It was probably time to move on from BB but actively trying to sabotage his attempts to get a new job ain’t it
ESPN fucking hates Belichick lmao
I’m a believer that these two things can both be true:
1. Bill is an arrogant dick who is hard to work with and one could get very sick of it after 20 +years.
2. Kraft should have kept it all to himself, both to preserve his reputation with fans and to do Bill a solid for all the good he did as the head of the football operations for 20+ years.
Fuck Kraft.
Kraft is a snake. Always has been, always will be.
This article is Wickersham – take it with a grain of salt
I’ve lost all respect for kraft!! Go Bill👍
Seth Wickersham’s name is on the story. Doesn’t that mean every word of it has to be false? That’s what I’ve learned from hanging around this sub the past few years.
This has the makings of a Jerry Jones/Jimmy Johnson curse
The “very, very, very arrogant” quote from Kraft about BB is hilarious. Dude has spent the entire offseason trying to claim credit for the on field performance of the team the last 25 years while spending less than basically every other owner on the team and program. Classic boss taking credit for his top performers while screwing them out of the product of their labor.
John Henry might be the worst owner in the area when it comes to the team, but Kraft is probably the worst in terms of personality.
I have two issues here: **Wickersham’s unreliability** and **ignoring the real BB-caused issues in recent years**.
The issue I have with Wickersham’s reporting especially regarding the Patriots is that he has shown a tendency to exaggerate details in order to present a story that shows as fractured a relationship as possible.
In the previous one which sparked all the Kraft detestation, for instance, he presented a paragraph which described Belichick’s thoughts on seeing miserable weather, as if he had the capability to read his thoughts.
He also relayed a story about Mayo swinging around a baseball bat in coaches’ meetings, “projecting an attitude of the owner’s favorite son” or something close to that. Later reporting from other writers revealed it was a *minibat.*
And with Belichick… let’s assume the reporting is completely accurate. So what does that quote reveal? That Kraft lost his trust in Belichick in recent years and didn’t trust him to successfully run a team. He’s not going to shit-talk him publicly.
And the article echoes concerns from *other executives with other teams* (i.e. *not Kraft*) about Belichick’s method of running a team in ways that have caused the Patriots’ recent collapse. One example:
> In a comment echoed by others, a source with a team that had a head-coaching vacancy this year *[i.e **not the Patriots**]* said Belichick’s “ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. … He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It’s arrogance.”
There’s been an attitude since rumors of BB’s firing stirred that has presented Belichick as infallible and the issues plaguing the team recently either minimized or presented as others’ faults, and that’s not the case. BB is the greatest coach ever, but he failed to build the Patriots up in recent years and we can’t pretend he did nothing wrong ever.
I get that piling on the Krafts is the trend right now but here it’s not merited.
Sounds like a spiteful ex that tells everyone you have a small penis…
This article is full of quotes and perspectives from different people. You choose the ones that support your beliefs.
“You’ll have to start over again,” said a source with firsthand knowledge of the Eagles’ thinking. “Who would replace him? He hasn’t had a good record of developing coaches. They were afraid that he’ll have changed everything and every person, and [then] you’ll be starting from scratch again. He didn’t demand those changes, but they felt like, if we hire him, we have to give everything to him and trust how he does it.”
Belichick’s “ability to build a culture at this stage is an issue. … He was so stubborn with the offense. He ran that offense down to a pulp. Mac Jones looked like a capable quarterback early. You think [Joe] Judge and Matt Patricia can run the offense for him? It’s arrogance.”
The executives also were concerned about the staff Belichick would bring with him, including assistants who had worked with him in New England and who had struggled on their own: Josh McDaniels, Joe Judge, Jack Easterby, Matt Patricia. At one point, Blank asked Belichick why his charges had failed elsewhere. Belichick replied that he thought they were better soldiers than generals.
The source close to Belichick said the coach had concerns about the Falcons’ roster and would have needed his most trusted former assistants to execute a quick turnaround.