Bill Belichick's exit in New England completely changes Jets-Patriots rivalry
NEW YORK -- The New York Jets and New England Patriots rivalry will never be the same after Bill Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways on Thursday.
It started on a January day in 2000. A ripple surged through the Jets facility.
"Due to the various uncertainties surrounding my position as it relates to the team's new ownership, I've decided to resign as the head coach of the Jets," Belichick said.
The ripple became a wave and triggered a rivalry for the ages.
Belichick, an assistant under Jets head coach Bill Parcells at the time, was set to take the helm. But in a stunning twist, he resigned before even moving into his office.
"It altered the history of the NFL because of what he became in New England. No one thought Vince Lombardi was walking out the door there," said Jets beat writer Rich Cimini.
The path Belichick chose led him to New England and turned him into a legend as the Patriots soared to new heights in an era marked by Super Bowls and controversies.
The Jets tried to get Belichick back by wooing his protégé, Eric Mangini. It led to cold handshakes, but turned downright ugly with the Spygate scandal that cost the Patriots draft picks.
"This Jet-Patriot thing, rivalry, whatever you want to call it, it's fueled by the hoodie. I mean, yeah Tom Brady left a few years ago, but he didn't have the Darth Vader kind of image that Bill Belichick has," said Cimini.
Belichick, who never looked back and was always ready to move on, stayed true to form when he and the Patriots split.
"I'll always be a Patriot. I look forward to coming back here, but at this time we're gonna move on," he said.
Jets-Patriots games were an ongoing saga of distain for each other. So it was fitting that Belichick's career in New England ended with a loss to New York.