Bill Belichick has hit back at Robert Kraft after the New England Patriots owner recently claimed hiring him was a ‘big risk’ back in 1999 – instead arguing that he was the one who rolled the dice by joining the team.
Belichick, 73, carved out a legacy as the most successful NFL head coach of all time during his iconic 24-year stint with the Patriots, who won six Super Bowls over the course of his reign.
While speaking on the ‘Dudes on Dudes’ podcast co-hosted by ex-New England players Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski at Fanatics Fest last month, Kraft was asked to name his best decision as owner of the franchise.
‘The one that got questioned the most was in 1999,’ the 84-year-old said about hiring Belichick. ‘I gave up a No. 1 draft pick for a coach that had only won a little over 40 percent of his games to get him out. I don’t know if there are any Jets fans here. I think getting Bill Belichick to come to the Patriots in 1999 was a big risk, and I got hammered in the Boston area, but he was with us for 24 years.’
Yet after being quizzed on those comments by ESPN, Belichick issued a strong response to his former boss over a year on from his Patriots departure, stressing that moving to New England was a risk on his part at the time.
‘As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job,’ he claimed. ‘I already had an opportunity to be the Head Coach of the New York Jets , but the ownership situation was unstable.’
Bill Belichick has hit back at Robert Kraft after the Patriots owner said hiring him was a ‘big risk’
The 73-year-old, pictured with 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, says he was the one who rolled the dice by heading to New England in 1999
Belichick also added: ‘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. I made it clear that we would have to change the way the team was managed to regain the previously attained success.’
While he declined to name the previous coaches who warned him to stay away from New England, one was likely Bill Parcells – Belichick’s mentor and old boss who infamously fell out with Kraft before leaving the Patriots to join the Jets in 1996.
Belichick also did not go into any further detail about the ‘internal obstacles’ he was told about before taking the job.
After joining the team, he released several high-paid players in a bid to revitalize a damaged salary cap – with New England $10m over at the time – and also controversially benched Drew Bledsoe for future all-time great Tom Brady at quarterback.
‘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,’ the North Carolina coach added.
When asked why he felt Kraft regarded his hiring as a ‘big risk’, Belichick said: ‘You’ll have to ask Robert.’
Belichick enjoyed great success with the Patriots, winning six Super Bowls in his 24-year reign
Belichick and Kraft’s relationship has deteriorated over the years, with the pair butting heads over Brady’s eventual departure in 2022.
Kraft was said to be keen on keeping his legendary quarterback in New England, yet Belichick’s desire to move on from Brady reportedly causing issues behind the scenes.
They have also taken subtle digs at each other in public since Bill’s departure early last year, with the Patriots owner later claiming he fired him after initially selling it as a mutual decision.
Belichick, who is gearing up for his first season as a college coach with North Carolina, is still not a member of the Patriots Hall of Fame. Brady was inducted last year, while it was announced in the spring that Parcells will be entering.
