New stunning details have emerged on the broken relationship between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft that led to the legendary head coach’s departure on Thursday.
As expected, Belichick and Kraft confirmed in their press conference on Thursday that they had agreed to part ways. Belichick’s historic tenure in New England ends with six Super Bowls, nine AFC Championships and 17 AFC East division titles.
Though Kraft and Belichick both appeared professional and courteous in their departure on Thursday, the relationship between the two rapidly deteriorated soon after Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay in 2020.
ESPN’s Seth Wickersham and Wright Thompson spoke to multiple sources who detailed the broken relationship and trust between Belichick and Kraft.
Among the notable tidbits: Belichick felt like Robert and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, had broken the Patriots’ culture he worked so hard to put together. As well, Jonathan reportedly made it clear to others in the organization that Belichick was on borrowed time:
“Belichick had sent clear signals internally for weeks that he thought he was coaching his final games for the Patriots. He also made it clear that he was ready to move on, telling confidants that Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, had eroded the culture he had built over two decades.
The relationship between Jonathan Kraft and Belichick, never strong, worsened. Jonathan is protective over his father’s legacy and watched for years as Belichick refused to acknowledge him in the hallways and dismissed him as obsessed with optics. In late 2022, according to a first-hand account, which Jonathan denied this week through a team spokesperson, Jonathan was talking to friends when one of them brought up New England’s losing season.
“That guy’s got to go,” he said about Belichick. “He’s done.””
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The report also stated that the elder Kraft would mock his head coach by referring to him as “the great, intelligent man” to others in the organization. And finally, one person close to Kraft opined that Thursday’s presser was the first “eye contact” Belichick and Kraft had in over a year:
“Robert’s idea, throughout this process, was how can I look the best I can on this thing?” he said. “He got what he wanted. A hug at the end of the press conference…Completely amicable. It’s an amazing performance because I don’t think Bill has given Robert eye contact in a year and a half.”
On Friday, the Patriots announced that inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was being promoted to the head coaching position. And so begins a new era in Foxborough…
