Tom Brady says he is "forever grateful" for Bill Belichick as legendary coach leaves Patriots
FOXBORO – Tom Brady, who spend nearly two decades under the tutelage of Bill Belichick, heaped praise on his former head coach following Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots.
"I'm incredibly grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL," Brady posted on social media. "He was a great leader for the organization, and for all of the players who played fo him. We accomplished some amazing things over a long period of time, many of which will be hard to replicate. he worked every day to help us achieve the ultimate goal, in the ultimate team sport. And, although we were successful, some of the greatest lessons I learned were in the moments where we faced the most challenging adversities. He set the tone for the organization to never falter in the face of adversity, and to do what we could do, and what was in our control, which was to go out and DO OUR JOB."
Brady added that he is "forever grateful" to have played for Belichick.
"I could never have been the player I was without you Coach Belichick. I am forever grateful. And I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose next," Brady wrote.
News broke Thursday morning that the Patriots and Belichick would be parting ways. That was officially confirmed hours later when Belichick and owner Robert Kraft held a joint press conference at Gillette Stadium.
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Belichick and Brady went to nine Super Bowls together. They won six before the quarterback left for Tampa Bay, where he won again.
Following Brady's departure from New England, the Patriots went 29-38 over four seasons.
Belichick spent 24 seasons with the Patriots and has been a head coach in the league for 29 seasons total. He needs just 15 wins to pass Don Shula for most in NFL history. Shula currently holds that mark with 347 victories.