Bill Belichick parted ways this Thursday with the New England Patriots, an NFL franchise whose coach he has been for the last 24 seasons and with whom he won six Super Bowl titles, making him the coach who has won this trophy most often the NFL won. The American Football League portal announced the news early Thursday and the 71-year-old coach himself confirmed it a few hours later in a press conference that he shared with Robert Kraft, general manager and owner of the Patriots.
During his more than two decades at the institution, Belichik developed a great partnership with historic quarterback Tom Brady, the player with the most NFL rings (7), with whom he worked from 2000 to 2019. Together, coaches and players won six championships, leading the Patriots to tie with the Pittsburgh Steeleers (6) and become the most successful franchise in the Super Bowl era. Later, Belichick and Brady would part ways for the 2020 season, a path that would see the quarterback receive his only ring from his mentor.
More information
With Belichick's departure from New England, the most successful sports management in the history of American football comes to an end, in which the American not only acted as a coach, but also exercised general manager powers, such as involvement in administrative matters. Belichick focused on maintaining a balanced roster in light of the league-imposed salary cap and was even involved in managing player contracts, powers the rest of the coaches typically don't have.
“I will always be a patriot,” said the current New England coach in his short farewell speech, after thanking the institution, its staff and the players who accompanied him during these years. For his part, Kraft also expressed his gratitude to Belichick, a man to whom the owner handed the keys to the franchise and who subsequently took it to the top.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.