Tom Brady was DONE with Patriots coach Bill Belichick and ‘wasn’t going to sign up for more of it’ by the time he became a free agent in 2019, he says in new Apple docuseries ‘The Dynasty’

Tom Brady simply had enough of Bill Belichick.

The Hall of Fame-worthy coach and quarterback won six Super Bowls together in New England, but as the 46-year-old Brady said in Apple’s upcoming docuseries, “The Dynasty,” Belichick had worn him down by the time he hit free agency went. in 2019.

“Me and Coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed together for 20 years,” Brady said in the docuseries, as quoted by The Athletics. “But I wasn’t going to sign another contract (in New England), even though I wanted to play until (I’m) 50. Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign for more.”

For specific details about their deteriorating relationship, viewers will have to wait until after the docuseries premiere on Friday.

What is known, according to The Athletic, is that Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker compared Brady to an abused dog under Belichick’s control, while Rob Gronkowski was admittedly afraid to enter the practice facility due to the friction in the office.

“It was brutal,” former Patriots team member Matthew Slater said on the series.

Belichick was replaced in New England by Jerod Mayo after a disappointing 4-13 season in 2023.

Brady left New England in 2019 to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for whom he won his seventh Super Bowl.

Earlier this month, Brady’s father criticized Belichick’s interpersonal skills to the Boston Globe.

“Bill is tough,” Tom Brady Sr. said. to The Boston Globe. ‘He runs a military system. It’s a different generation. Bill is a great, great, great coach. But his interpersonal skills are terrible. That is the starting point.

“How many times has he said – in ’15 or ’16 – that he wanted to win without Tommy? When he went without Tommy, he didn’t know what he lost. You’re losing more than just a quarterback.

‘Ego sometimes gets in the way of things. I think it was the same with Bill. Now he’s in a situation where he’s been crucified by everyone in recent years and a lot of shine has come off his rose.”

Tom Brady Sr. watches during Super Bowl 51 between the Patriots and Atlanta Falcons in 2017

Tom Brady receives a hug from head coach Bill Belichick after the Super Bowl victory over the Seahawks

Belichick, of course, is the only person to coach the Patriots this millennium.

Technically, he had a one-day stint as Jets head coach in January 2000 after inheriting the job from his mentor, Bill Parcells, but abruptly resigned due to the team’s uncertain ownership situation.

Three months later, after being hired by Kraft, Belichick drafted a Michigan quarterback named Tom Brady in the sixth round, inserted him into the starting lineup for the injured Drew Bledsoe the following season, and promptly captured the first of six Lombardi Trophies.

The 71-year-old Belichick ranks third among NFL coaches in regular-season wins with 302 — just 26 behind leader Don Shula, who won just two Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins after failing to do so with the Baltimore Colts. Including the postseason, Belichick’s 333 wins surpass only Shula’s 347.

Ex-Patriots QB Tom Brady returned to Foxboro in September for a ceremony in his honor

But even without the NFL record for wins, Belichick’s resume in the league is unparalleled.

A three-time AP Coach of the Year, Belichick was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 2000s and 2010s, as well as the league’s 10th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Including his time as Parcells’ defensive coordinator with the New York Giants, Belichick has a record eight Super Bowl rings.

Additionally, he holds head coaching records for most Super Bowl wins (six), Super Bowl appearances (nine), playoff wins (31), playoff appearances (19) and division titles (17).

In fact, in 29 years as a head coach, Belichick has only missed the postseason 10 times: four of his five dismal seasons with the Cleveland Browns, and another six times in New England.

And therein lies the debate over Belichick’s performance: For all his success as a head coach, Belichick’s Super Bowl victories all came with, arguably, the best quarterback to ever play the game.

“Tom Brady was the only reason you won anyway,” former Jets coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan said of Belichick in November. “I said from the jump they would never win again if that guy trotted to Tampa.”

Ex-Jets & Bills coach Rex Ryan says he believes Bill Belichick’s success is thanks to Tom Brady

Ryan walked back his criticism somewhat at the time.

“Bill Belichick – the best in history,” continued Ryan, who was all-time 9-3 against Belichick. ‘I will never dispute that. I got my ass kicked by him a million times.

“But if you think for one moment that it wasn’t about Tom Brady, you’re completely crazy.”

“Look at his record without Tom,” former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel said in July. ‘You have to win without Tom. One thing I’ve learned about being great is that you have to be great in different situations. It was all Tom. I was there. I saw it. It was Tom. Everyone knows.’

In turn, Brady has publicly remained loyal to Belichick, whom he called “the greatest coach … in the history of football” in November.

“The thought of him not being in New England is hard for me to think about,” the 46-year-old retiree said.

But even their shared success couldn’t keep Brady in Foxborough, where rumors of animosity between the two began to surface in 2017.

At the time, ESPN and other media reported that Belichick had banned Brady’s personal fitness guru and business partner, Alex Guerrero, from the sidelines after he clashed with the team’s training staff.

New England Patriots fans hold up a sign in support of head coach Bill Belichick in 2014

Some Patriots fans still support Belichick, including this man pictured on December 24

Other rumors also surfaced, including one that Belichick was eager to replace the aging Brady with his backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, in order to trade the young quarterback to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2017 season.

The exact truth is difficult to pin down, especially given Belichick’s notorious aversion to sharing details with the press.

Belichick (left in 2012) and Patriots owner Robert Kraft (right) have finally parted ways

But whether this was the case with Brady or not, Belichick has developed a reputation for wearing down those around him.

“This team is playing like they’re exhausted,” Ryan said on ESPN about the current incarnation of the Patriots. “And in the Patriot way, that’s it. It exhausts these children.

“Because I know how exhausting that is for these kids,” Ryan continued. “And that’s what you’re dealing with now.”

Speaking about his four-year stint with the Patriots in the early 2010s, linebacker Brandon Spikes wrote on social media: “4 years a slave.”

“It was just kind of tough, one of those deals where you have to put up with him and put up with him,” former Patriots receiver Wes Welker told Sports Illustrated in 2013 about Belichick. is.’

“It’s not easy, that’s for sure,” former Patriots receiver Danny Amendola told ESPN in 2018. “He’s an asshole sometimes. There were a lot of things I didn’t like about playing for him, but I have to say the things I didn’t like were all about making the team better, and I respected him.

“It wasn’t easy, and he would be the first to admit at the (Super Bowl) ring ceremony that it wasn’t easy for him to play.”