North Carolina coach Bill Belichick cleared up misconceptions about his relationship with Tom Brady during a recent appearance on FOX News’ “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.”
The Tar Heels coach addressed criticism about how he treated Brady during their time together with the New England Patriots. Many fans thought their coach-to-player dynamic was harsh or unusual.
But Belichick says Brady actually asked to be treated like everyone else.
“We did everything to try to enhance him, you know, in the plays that he ran and the things that he did well. We tried to find people that would do those things, not people who did things, but they weren’t really the things that Tom was best at and Tom was great,” Belichick explained.
NFL legend Bill Belichick reflects on his partnership with Tom Brady and the football dynasty they built on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity.”
“I learned so much from Tom. I never played quarterback. Tom saw the game through a quarterback’s eyes. I saw the game through a coach’sā¦ pic.twitter.com/jIUDclaPRw
ā Fox News (@FoxNews) May 19, 2026
The former Patriots coach said Brady would actually request to be included when the team needed tough coaching.
“People say, well, I was hard on Tom and you know, I yelled at Tom. Yeah, I mean, at times sure. That’s part of coaching, but Tom was great about that. A lot of times he would say, you know, I might say to him, ‘Hey, Tom, look, it might be a little rough in there today in this meeting because of what happened in the game or yesterday or whatever you know. Yeah, I understand we probably need it, and he goes, ‘You know, make sure you include me, because then I’m one of the guys if you leave me out of it.’ Then, it’s like, well, Tom’s great. Everybody else is the problem. And so he kind of said, you know, ‘Don’t forget to include me.’ I was like, no problem, Tom. I’ll yell at you too, easily.”
The duo won six Super Bowl titles together over 20 seasons in New England.
Brady didn’t want special treatment because it would separate him from his teammates. If Belichick criticized everyone except the quarterback, it would make Brady look like the coach’s favorite.
Both men have moved on to new chapters in their careers.
Belichick is preparing for his second season coaching college football at North Carolina. Brady now owns part of the Las Vegas Raiders and works as a broadcaster for FOX’s NFL coverage.
Both will likely end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they become eligible.
