Any possible drama or tension between Bill Belichick and his former employer won’t prevent him from attending Tom Brady’s induction into the New England Patriots Hall of Fame.
Belichick is planning to return to Foxborough for Brady’s ceremony on Wednesday, The Athletic reported. It’ll mark Belichick’s first time back at Gillette Stadium since he and the Patriots parted ways in January after 24 seasons together.
There have been a few developments since then that suggest Belichick’s relationship with Patriots owner Robert Kraft was strained in their final few seasons together. In the Apple TV+ docuseries “The Dynasty” that was released in February, Kraft admitted that he had tough moments with Belichick. He even said that Belichick was “a pain in the tush,” though he “was willing to put up with it — as long as we won.”
Then in April, ESPN reported that Kraft told Falcons owner Arthur Blank “not to trust Bill” after Atlanta had interviewed Belichick for its head coach vacancy.
A few weeks after that report, Belichick and Kraft shared a moment on stage at Brady’s roast in May. The two took a shot together after being encouraged by host Kevin Hart, although there did seem to be some awkwardness between the two.
Nonetheless, none of that will reportedly stop Belichick from attending Wednesday’s event. Even though the 2024 season will mark Belichick’s first year not coaching an NFL team since 1974, he has kept busy. He’s visited multiple college football teams (Nebraska and Washington), multiple college lacrosse programs, attended multiple Boston Celtics playoff games and even traveled to Croatia earlier in June. He also had a broadcasting gig with ESPN for the 2024 NFL Draft and is expected to work for the network in some capacity during the 2024 season.
Belichick will presumably speak at Brady’s induction, according to The Athletic. “Hundreds” of Brady’s former teammates are expected to attend the ceremony, ESPN previously reported. Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel and Wes Welker are expected to be among the group of Brady’s former Patriots teammates present at Wednesday’s festivities, The Athletic added in its report. Kraft has also told people that there will be “outstanding surprise guests.”
The event for Brady was announced last September, with the Patriots holding it on June 12 to commemorate the number of titles he won with the team (six) and his jersey number (12). Brady is the first to ever bypass the four-year waiting period to be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Brady’s induction ceremony is also a ticketed event, with most of the seats at Gillette Stadium being opened up for the ceremonies. It’s set to begin at 7 p.m. ET and will air on the team’s website and social media pages.
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