“Every Relationship Ebbs and Flows”: Tom Brady Acknowledges He Had Communication Issues With Bill Belichick

Communication is the key, perhaps for New England Patriots’ former HC Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, this mantra went unnoticed. The on-field brilliance of the quarterback-coach duo was marred by the off-field strains in their relationship. The popular Apple TV+ docuseries. “The Dynasty” found Brady candidly talking about this issue. However, for Belichick, no proper answers have been received, which again points to his lack of communication skills.

Having worked under Belichick, there were times when the QB and coach had differences of opinion. Highlighting the divergence in decision-making, the 7x SB champion commented, “I mean, look every relationship ebbs and flows. He’s got to make decisions that he thinks are best, and I have my own decisions which I think are best. You know, we just didn’t talk a lot.”


USA Today via Reuters

Matthew Slater from the special teams has been a close observer of the underlying tussle that prevailed between the coach and the quarterback. In the docuseries, Slater revealed how Brady tried to avoid any kind of exchange with the coach seeking assistance from him as the conveyor, “I remember times like, if Tom wanted something done, he would tell me to go tell Bill. And I’m looking at Tom like, “Tom like, I’m not telling Bill, you tell Bill””. This takes us back to Belichick’s stance on the ongoing issue of communication between him and Brady.

Bill Belichick’s stance on his ‘issues’ with Tom Brady

Known for his guarded approach to discuss matters off-field, Belichick has remained tight-lipped. The then-coach of the Patriots whenever the time came to discuss his communication equations with Brady sidestepped the conversation. Refusing to delve deep into the matter, the coach claimed, “Yeah, I’ll keep the conversations between myself and other current and former players, you know, private like they are. So, appreciate the question, but I’m not going to go down that road.” 

However, in another interview, when a reporter was discussing the final episode of the quarterback’s documentary series, “Tom vs. Time”, Belichick opined, “Tom and I have always had a good line of communication. We’ve always been able to talk directly to each other. I don’t see that changing. So I’ll rely on those instead of anything else.”

Based on the insights brought about by the docuseries, lack of communication seems to have been the cause behind the break in the Brad-Belichick partnership. Now that both Tom Brady and Bill Belichick no longer share ties with the New England Patriots, it is now to be witnessed how cordially they are going to greet each other in case any face-to-face situation arises.