Bill Belichick comes back swinging in response to Robert Kraft comment
When appearing on the Dudes on Dudes podcast, Kraft claimed that hiring Belichick was his greatest move as an owner. However, he also noted that it was a big risk giving up a first-round draft pick for a coach who "won a little over 40 percent of his games in 1999."
Belichick provided a response to ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., with the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach contesting that he was the one who took the big risk.
"As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job," Belichick said. "I already had an opportunity to be the Head Coach of the New York Jets, but the ownership situation was unstable."
Belichick infamously wrote his resignation letter on a napkin after spending one day as the Jets' head coach. He viewed the Jets' football team as a solid situation, but it wasn't enough to cure his concerns for the ownership issues in New York at the time.
The legendary coach claimed he was told beforehand that the job in New England had its own internal issues as well.
"I had been warned by multiple previous Patriots' coaches, as well as other members of other NFL organizations and the media, that the New England job was going to come with many internal obstacles," Belichick said. "I made it clear that we would have to change the way the team was managed to regain the previously attained success."
Belichick would go on to lead the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, nine AFC Championship victories and 17 divisional titles.
Kraft ultimately made the decision to move on from Belichick as the Patriots' head coach in January 2024, after the team suffered back-to-back losing seasons and a 4-13 record in 2023. It brought an end to a 24-year working relationship responsible for turning the Patriots into a historically great franchise.
"I appreciated Robert giving me the opportunity to make those changes and build a program that was consistent with my vision for a championship team," Belichick told ESPN, per Van Natta Jr.
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