The New England Patriots built one of the greatest dynasties in sports history that started back in 2001 and carried all the way through 2019. Spearheaded by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, the Patriots created a model of consistency that resulted in plenty of Super Bowl victories. During the Brady – Belichick era, the Patriots had 19 consecutive winning seasons and appeared in half of the Super Bowls played during Brady's main 18 years as the starter.
But as we know, all good things must come to an end. When the relationship folded and soured in New England after the 2019 season, Brady went on to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl in his first season there.
Here's a timeline of how Tom Brady's relationship with the Patriots and Bill Belichick fell apart.
Tom Brady Timeline On Bill Belichick, Patriots Relationship Ending
November 16, 2019: Bill Belichick uses fights as teaching moments, according to Tom Brady
December 26, 2019: All is good in New England. “Spending time with Tom on the set was awesome.” – Bill Belichick
January 4, 2020: Bill Belichick won't address Brady's future in New England. “Right now, we just finished this game and we're focused on this game.” – Belichick
February 2, 2020: Bill Belichick has savage response for the haters.
February 7, 2020: Belichick could get over Brady leaving New England quickly
March 4, 2020: Unproductive talk between Belichick and Brady leads to more speculation.
March 4, 2020: ‘Business as usual' for Brady and Belichick
March 7, 2020: Robert Kraft will leave the Brady decision in the hands of Belichick.
March 12, 2020: Ex-Patriot says Belichick would be fine if Brady leaves for the Buccaneers.
March 17, 2020: Bill Belichick's statement on Tom Brady choosing to leave New England. “Tom and I will always have a great relationship built on love, admiration, respect and appreciation.” – Belichick.
March 22, 2020: Brady's thoughts on relationship with Belichick are the reason he left.
March 22, 2020: Brady and Belichick had zero purposeful contract talks.
March 22, 2020: Brady and Belichick past contract issue from 2017 highlighted.
March 23, 2020: Tom Brady's plan to leave New England has been in the works for quite some time.
April 8, 2020: Brady says he's grateful for Belichick relationship. “To have him allowed me to be the best I could be. So I'm grateful for that. And I very much believe that he feels the same about me.” – Brady.
April 13, 2020: Belichick confirms stance on Brady departure. “Water under the bridge.” – Belichick.
April 13, 2020: Belichick opens up about current QB situation amid Brady leaving.
April 14, 2020: Belichick reference Matt Cassel 2008 season when talking about adjusting to life without Tom Brady.
April 22, 2020: Pressure is dialed up on Belichick after Brady and Gronkowski departures.
May 3, 2020: One ex-Patriot says Brady left New England because of Belichick.
May 21, 2020: The moment everything went south with Brady and Belichick.
June 29, 2020: Belichick's admiration for Cam Newton dates back to 2017.
August 21, 2020: Belichick not phased by Brady's absence moving forward.
October 20, 2020: Belichick still fawning over Jimmy Garoppolo.
October 31, 2020: Bill Belichick talks about what killed New England's depth recently.
January 19, 2021: Belichick's girlfriend lashes out on fan over Brady comment on Instagram.
January 24, 2021: Rex Ryan's hot take on Brady – Belichick.
January 26, 2021: Tom Brady's dad jokes about Belichick's job security.
January 29, 2021: How does Tom Brady reaching the Super Bowl affect Belichick's legacy?
February 1, 2021: Tom Brady not taking the bait on Belichick questions.
February 1, 2021: Danny Amendola comes from the top rope after the Patriots don't make the playoffs without Brady.
February 7, 2021: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the Super Bowl. TB12 puts up insane stats.
February 7, 2021: Brady's Super Bowl victory painted in an even better light.
April 9, 2021: The Patriots, who are still keeping Cam Newton around, might be gearing up for more QB movement in the NFL Draft. It would be, obviously, the most movement at the position since landing Brady.
While not a complete Tom Brady timeline, as he's still playing and Bill Belichick is still coaching for the New England Patriots, it appears most of the drama is now behind us. Time will tell, however, if either person spills more of the tea after they retire, or if they fully patch things up.
If fans want to just remember the good, they should. Plenty of greatness happened in the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick relationship. The Patriots won just an insane number of Super Bowls, numerous players will end up in the Hall of Fame because of it, and just because the ending to that story is a bit dreary does not mean it has to be remembered that way.
Given their history together, even if they appeared to have ended on a sour note, Patriots fans would likely prefer to forget the drama and instead remember the amazing dynasty.
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