Coach Bill Belichick may have given Tom Brady the briefest of hugs after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New England Patriots on Sunday night. But they’d made a plan. They would catch up after the game.
After their 15 or 20 minute conversation inside the visitor locker room at Gillette Stadium, Brady was unwilling to share much in the way of information about their chat. He did say, however, he felt their relationship had been miscast, with many rumors being untrue.
When pressed further about the conversation on the SiriusXM podcast “Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray,” the Buccaneers quarterback shared a little more information.
“It was a nice conversation,” Brady said. “I have been really focused on what I need to do with the Bucs and he’s focused on his role with the Patriots. For 20 years I basically saw him every day, and since I left New England we’ve just never seen each other face-to-face. It was nice to catch up and exchange just some different thoughts that we had been having. And it was a good way to end the night for both of us.
“We have a very personal relationship and I think from my standpoint, and I have reiterated quite a few times, he’s been a great mentor for me. When I showed up in Foxboro, I didn’t know anything about pro football. I showed up as a kid from California, went to Michigan and he was an incredible mentor for me. Incredible coach for our team. And a lot of guys would say that. When you’re with someone for 20 years, you know him pretty well. He’s still doing a great job and I am trying to do a great job. We’re very competitive people. I appreciate everything he’s done for me as a coach, as I’ve said numerous times. I know he feels that same way about me.”
