Belichick leaves Patriots after 6 Super Bowl championships

Bill Belichick, the NFL genius who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships, is leaving the team after 24 seasons with no rival payment

NFL genius Bill Belichick, who led the New England Patriots to a record six Super Bowl championships as head coach, is set to depart from the team after a 24-season tenure.

The NFL Network, ESPN, and other publications reported the breakup, citing unidentified sources, while the Patriots announced a press conference for the afternoon featuring Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Following his departure, eight NFL teams would be without a head coach, and there was conjecture as to where Belichick would coach next or whether he would retire at age 71.

ESPN said that Belichick and Kraft had spoken frequently in the last few days and that the Patriots would not pursue payment from any rival team for Belichick, who still has one year left on his New England deal. The article said that the departure would be amicable.

The decision was made just a few hours after Belichick’s longtime colleague and famed University of Alabama coach Nick Saban announced his retirement from leading the nation in college football.

After taking over the Patriots for the 2000 season, Belichick – who was renowned for his grumpy attitude on the sidelines while wearing a hoodie and headset – led one of the greatest dynasty runs in American sports history.

Thanks to Belichick’s success, the New England Patriots were able to secure NFL titles in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, and 2018 seasons.

Belichick owns NFL coaching records for Super Bowl wins and appearances as a head coach with nine. His 31 playoff-game triumphs are another coaching mark. However, when superstar quarterback Tom Brady departed after the 2019 campaign, Belichick’s Patriots began to struggle.

New England has missed the NFL playoffs three of the past four seasons, and the 4-13 campaign that ended last Sunday was the worst as a head coach in Belichick’s career.

He will, however, be remembered for his winning ways. Belichick’s nine total Super Bowl appearances with the Patriots are more than any team in the NFL except for New England.

New England went 266-120 under Belichick over 24 seasons and won 17 AFC East division titles, the most by any head coach with a single club. The Patriots took 11 division titles in a row from 2009-2019, the longest streak in NFL history.

Only six other coaches have spent more than 20 seasons with one NFL club, and they have all been selected for the American Football Hall of Fame.

Belichick was also a member of two Super Bowl championship teams as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.

While Belichick became a legend with the Patriots, New England was not his first stop as an NFL head coach. He went 36-44 in five seasons with the Cleveland Browns from 1991 through 1995 but managed only one winning season and one playoff win.

Source: AFP