Bruce Arians and Bill Belichick had completely opposite statements about the retirement of NFL great Tom Brady.
The Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians and New England head coach both paid tribute to the legend.
Take a look at the statement from Arians:
“Tom joined us as the greatest football player of all time, and he quickly showed everyone in our organization what that meant. He set a standard and helped create a culture that took our team to the mountaintop. It has been an honor to be his head coach for the past two seasons. I wish it didn’t have to end, but few players have the opportunity to leave the game on their own terms. Even fewer can do it while playing at an elite level. Tom is the exception. I have a deep appreciation and respect for what he has done for our franchise, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best in this next chapter of life after football.”
Whereas Belichick said… absolutely nothing. Literally not a word about Brady. And we can only assume that’s because Brady didn’t mention the Patriots once in his retirement post.
Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, however, did release a statement:
“Words cannot describe the feelings I have for Tom Brady, nor adequately express the gratitude my family, the New England Patriots and our fans have for Tom for all he did during his career. A generation of football fans have grown up knowing only an NFL in which Tom Brady dominated. He retires with nearly every NFL career passing record, yet the only one that ever mattered to him was the team’s win-loss record. In his 20 years as a starter his teams qualified for the playoffs 19 times. He led his teams to 10 Super Bowls, winning an NFL-record seven championships. In a team sport like football, it is rare to see an individual have such a dominant impact on a team’s success. You didn’t have to be a Patriots fan to respect and appreciate his competitiveness, determination and will to win that fueled his success. As a fan of football, it was a privilege to watch. As a Patriots fan, it was a dream come true.
Enjoy retirement, GOAT.
