In the video, Tom Brady sits cross-legged and looks into the camera. He was trying to express how bad the relationship was between him and Bill Belichick in the late 2010s, as their 20-year run with the New England Patriots was coming to an end.
By now, everyone knows how that time ended—Brady escaped the often miserable ship Belichick presided over and headed for greener pastures in Tampa Bay. Belichick didn’t offer Brady the two-year, $50 million contract that would have given the legendary quarterback the stability he was seeking. For years, this has been cited as the main reason Brady didn’t return to the Patriots.
But as part of a new 10-part documentary about the Patriots dynasty, Brady made it clear that his departure had more to do with the team’s coaching choices than the salary he was paid.
“Coach Belichick and I, we’ve been doing what we love together and competing together for 20 years,” Brady said. “But even if I want to play until I’m 50, I’m not going to sign another contract (in New England). The way things are going, I’m not going to sign any more contracts.”
On Friday, Apple TV+ will launch Dynasty , a feature-length documentary with two episodes airing every Friday for the next five weeks. It’s said to be a look back at the Patriots from 2000 to 2020, covering Brady’s rise after Drew Bledsoe’s injury, how the Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years, the ensuing controversies and the How two dynasties grew up in a fractured relationship before finally collapsing. For Patriots fans who want to relive the early years of the dynasty, these early episodes are worth it. The middle episodes will be worth it for Patriots haters who want to revel in some new details about Spygate, Deflategate and the team’s other indiscretions.
Good people. The bad…and the untold stories.
“Dynasty: New England Patriots” will premiere on February 16. pic.twitter.com/VcoAr33hrn
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) January 9, 2024
But more than anything, the documentary feels like a referendum on how bad Brady and Belichick’s relationship was, and why it never had a storybook ending with the two riding off into the sunset together. Although the interviews were conducted months before the Patriots parted ways with Belichick, they included Brady, Belichick, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Just about every notable Patriots player of the past two decades (except, notably). , Jerrold Mayo ) — spoke out about Belichick’s all-encompassing, authoritarian style of running the Patriots.
Players, including several still on the roster, have revealed how difficult it is to play for Belichick. “It’s brutal,” Matthew Slater said. Rob Gronkowski described parking his car at 1 Patriot Place and not wanting to get out of his car and go to work. Wes Welker compared Brady to an abused dog because he keeps going back to work for Belichick.
ESPN made local headlines last month when a report after Belichick left the Patriots quoted someone calling the upcoming documentary a “TV commercial” for Kraft’s Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy. . This documentary, Competitor You’re allowed to filter this comment, aren’t you. It focuses more on the relationship between Brady and Belichick, and overall, it’s the most comprehensive look yet at how miserable those in this building were during the dynasty’s final years. Or at least that’s the funniest, funniest part.
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The first few episodes dealt with the beginning of the Patriots dynasty. All these years later, it’s still interesting to hear from Bledsoe and Brady about the injury-induced transformation, even if these early incidents don’t generate many headlines. The middle episodes (particularly episodes four, six, and seven) focused on Spygate, Aaron Hernandez’s arrest, and Deflategate, respectively. There were some mesmerizing moments, including one in which Robyn Glaser (recently named Patriots executive vice president of football operations and senior advisor to the head coach) reenacted smashing the Spygate tapes with a hammer.
These early episodes are worth it for fans who want to relive the glory days, and the middle episodes are also fun, even if the series slows down and occasionally drags a bit in these parts. Notably, the documentary does not address Belichick’s departure from the team last month, nor Mayo’s promotion to head coach through Kraft’s little-known succession plan.
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For fans who aren’t too keen on enjoying footage of confetti falling on the Patriots, the documentary has really added energy over the past four episodes as it examines the breakdown of Brady and Belichick’s relationship.
Brady was more forthright than usual, although he sidestepped several of the more pointed topics raised by Emmy-winning director Matthew Hamachek (who also directed HBO’s Tiger Woods documentary in 2021) . So does Kraft. As expected, Belichick didn’t say much. Perhaps his funniest comment came while dodging Hamacek’s question about why Malcolm Butler was benched in Super Bowl LII.
“Matt, we’ve discussed this,” Belichick said without any further explanation, suggesting there was some sort of agreement between the coach and executive to avoid the topic.
Former teammates, and sometimes Kraft, have been the most vocal about how bad the relationship between Brady and Belichick was. They described a hostile work environment and a miserable atmosphere at the team’s headquarters.
The payoff for the final four episodes makes this look back at the Patriots from 2000 to 2015 worthwhile. The ending may not be happy for Patriots fans. It gives a sense of what it could have been like if Belichick’s style was a little different or Brady was willing to handle it a little more.
But overall, the documentary is gripping and worth watching, and it reveals just how bad things were for the Patriots before Brady left.
As Kraft said, “Tom and I had many discussions about how Bill treated him. Tommy was very sensitive. He was always seeking Bill’s approval, almost in a father-son way. That was not Bill’s style.”
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(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
