Bill Belichick and Linda Holliday have had ‘drawn-out, back-and-forth breakup’ … that has New England Patriots execs on edge
Bill Belichick and his longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday have been involved in what has been described as a “prolonged, back-and-forth breakup” that has lasted as long as a year.
The New England Patriots coach, 71, has been linked to Holliday, 59, since 2007, and his split leaves executives at the football team on edge as Belichick is about to begin his 24th season with the franchise, sources said . Page six on Wednesday.
Insiders told the outlet that Holliday, who has a background in beauty pageants, still lives in the home of the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and is “very fond” of the house and its surroundings.
Holliday, who was linked to Belichick for a year after his marriage to Debby Clarke Belichick ended in 2006, has also been linked to the veteran NFL coach through other endeavors.
She is the president of him Bill Belichick Foundationwhich “aims to provide coaching, mentorship and financial support to individuals, communities and organizations.”
The latest: Bill Belichick, 71, and his longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday, 59, have been involved in what’s been described as a “prolonged, back-and-forth breakup” that has lasted as long as a year. Pictured in 2019 during the Kentucky Derby
Holliday made headlines in January 2021 when she was critical of Belichick’s longtime star player Tom Brady, who himself had a high-profile split when he parted ways with wife Gisele Bündchen last October after 13 years of marriage.
At the time, Brady had won a playoff game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — en route to his first Super Bowl championship without Belichick — when an Instagram follower told her, “Too bad Bill let Tom go!”
Holliday downplayed Brady’s performance in his team’s victory in a comment that the outlet said caused behind-the-scenes problems for the head coach.
She said, ‘And you seem to have all the answers? Tom didn’t score last night…not once! The defense won that game. Did you even look?’
News of the split comes out as Belichick prepares for his 49th season in the NFL and 29th as head coach.
He heads into Sunday’s season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles with a career-high 329 wins (including playoffs), leaving him 19 behind to pass Don Shula (347) for the most in NFL history.
Belichick made it clear Wednesday that nearly five decades of scouting and game preparation haven’t diminished his enthusiasm for his final NFL season.
“It’s what I do,” Belichick said, according to the AP. ‘I enjoy it. Better than working for a living.’
Holliday has been associated with coaching the New England Patriots since 2007; pictured in Foxborough, Massachusetts in December 2019
His split leaves executives on the football team on edge as Belichick is about to begin his 24th season with the franchise; pictured in February 2020 in Miami
Holliday is the president of his Bill Belichick Foundation, which “aims to provide coaching, mentorship, and financial support to individuals, communities, and organizations.” Pictured in January 2012
Working to stay relevant in what is expected to be a competitive AFC East this season will be a different story for its Patriots.
After an 8-9 finish in 2022, which saw their assault finish in the bottom half of the league in several categories, all eyes will be on that group on a weekly basis.
Linebackers coach Steve Belichick, the coach’s son, doesn’t expect the team to look stale on either side of the ball.
This will be his twelfth season on his father’s staff and he said he has seen a coach who remains open to change despite his long career.
“He’s obviously old,” the younger Belichick said. “He’s definitely old. But I haven’t seen that many changes in his approach and things like that.
“I think he can adapt well. He’s not stuck in his ways. He listens to feedback and implements it the way he wants.’
Micromanaging is also not part of the playbook, Steve Belichick said.
“There’s always a level of, ‘What can we do better? What should we do better?’ And I appreciate that about him,” said Steve Belichick. “He makes us do what we do.
“He hired us to do a job. He has faith in us to get a job done. But if it’s not good enough, he steps in and flat out says it’s not good enough.’