What did Bill Belichick have to say about Tom Brady’s ‘tampering’ controversy?
As the star QB’s former coach, it was only a matter of time before he faced questions, but what he said or rather didn’t say has brought no further clarity.
With the headlines swirling around him and the Dolphins who were recently punished, the star QB’s former coach gave short response to questions about the controversy as he refused to be drawn on the situation.
Tom Brady, the Miami Dolphins and the problem of ‘tampering’
Though he’s probably accustomed to being the center of attention, it goes without saying that the legendary QB would have been unhappy with the latest headlines that concerned him. Following news of his alleged involvement in ‘tampering’ the Buccaneers star was cleared, but the Dolphins weren’t so lucky. Indeed, the franchise was punished severely by the NFL for their role in violating the league’s anti-tampering policy on three separate occasions. As you may have guessed, some of those instances - two to be precise - involved the now 45-year-old quarterback.
As a result, the Dolphins were docked both a 2023 first-round pick as well as a third-rounder in 2024. In addition, owner Stephen Ross was also suspended through Oct. 17, 2022 and fined some $1.5 million. As for the investigation itself, the league noted that the Dolphins had “impermissible communications” with Brady in 2019-20 while he was under contract with the New England Patriots. According to their findings, those communications started as far back as early August in 2019 and actually continued throughout that regular season and even into the postseason. Brady as we now know, would go on to hit free agency in that last season with the Patriots and would later sign for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As far as the League stands, both he and the Dolphins moved too quickly.
Bill Belichick weighs in on Brady situation...sort of
Now that we understand how far back this scenario goes, which is to say Brady had contact with the now culpable Dolphins when he was still a Patriots player, it’s pretty logical to wonder what his coach at the time might think. As one of the league’s most successful and more over respected coaches, Bill Belichick was in fact asked what he thought about the controversy. In typical Belichick style, he was short, to the point and quite frankly, gave nothing away. Here’s what the exchange looked like:
Question: Bill, what was your reaction to the Dolphins ruling yesterday?
Belichick: “Yeah, I’m not really worried about that. Just trying to have a good training camp here.”
Question: Did you have any idea that the Dolphins were tampering with your starting quarterback that season?
Belichick: “Focused on training camp here. That’s all in the past.”
The Dolphins also contacted Brady when he was with the Buccaneers
Another interesting point to note, is the fact that Miami also had contact with Brady after the 2021 season, time when he would have still been contractually tied to the Buccaneers. The league’s report observes that the discussions between the two parties centered on Brady “becoming a limited partner in the Dolphins franchise with the possibility of a position as an executive within the organization. There was also reference to the potential scenario wherein he could actually play for the team itself. Ultimately, Brady avoided any sanction from the league which in essence means the case is closed, but it’s certainly still intriguing to think about.