New book says Tom Brady wanted to split from Belichick

In another chapter in the saga between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, ESPN’s Ian O’Connor explains in his new book on Belichick that the rift between the legendary coach and player almost led to a split.

Over the last year or so, there has been more than enough stories about the friction with the New England Patriots, the league’s most powerful franchise. But in a new book, it appeared last season that the rift between quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick nearly plateaued.

Per Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time, written by ESPN’s Ian O’Connor, the rift between Belichick and Brady probably explains why Brady was hesitant about returning to the team this season.

Here’s how one of O’Connor’s sources put it:

"If you’re married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while you want to divorce him.Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he’s had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him."

No one wins when the family feuds, so perhaps that is why Brady elected to return. But the unusual soap opera that has surrounded the Patriots over the last year or so is still flabbergasting. One could argue that a duo with so many accomplishments achieved together would have a lasting bond. But it’s appearing that the more accomplishments they gain, a battle about who deserves the credit is ensuing.

Nevertheless, we can expect the Patriots to move on with a business-as-usual aesthetic. Whether or not the two icons will survive for the rest of this season or the next, we will have to wait and see.