6 rings and football things: bill o'brien to boston college?
When the Patriots parted ways with head coach Bill Belichick in mid-January, it seemed like then-offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s job status was in jeopardy. That wasn’t the case, however.
“I definitely had an opportunity to stay [with the Patriots],” he told WEEI.com on Thursday following his introductory press conference as Boston College's 41st head coach. “I thought it was really important for Coach Mayo to hire his own staff. I came and worked for Bill Belichick, and I think it’s really important for Jerod to be able to hire his own staff. The Kraft’s were great about that, and I really appreciate that. And Ryan Day was awesome about offering me a job, so that’s why I made that decision.”
When O’Brien originally left the Patriots back in January, he was set to take his coaching talents to Columbus and call Ohio State’s offense under Day, the Buckeyes head coach. Little did he know, he’d wind up landing his dream job just a few weeks later. O’Brien was named BC’s 41st head football coach last Friday.
“I really wanna thank Ryan Day, the head football coach at Ohio State, for his patience and his understanding of why it was so important for me to pursue this job,” O’Brien said in his first remarks as the Eagles’ head man. “Ryan Day is an outstanding person and an outstanding coach and he was great during this whole process.”
He continued: Growing up outside of Boston, with my family, as a lifelong BC fan. A lot of us went to Brown, but we were secret Boston College fans, I promise you. I went into coaching in 1993, when I got out of Brown, I went into coaching at Brown. I always dreamed about being the head coach at Boston College. My career has taken some twists and turns, and taken me down roads I never could have imagined, but as I stand here today, I couldn't be more grateful that the road has finally taken me to Boston College.”
O’Brien also had thanks in order for his former friends in Foxborough:
“I wanna thank Bill Belichick for all that he has done for my career,” the 53-year-old explained. “I’ll never be able to repay Bill for what he’s done for my career and I appreciate what he said about this opportunity for me yesterday. I really thank Bill for that. I’d like to thank Robert and Jonathan Kraft for all of their support over the years. That’s meant a lot to me.”
O'Brien now heads into his third head coaching job (and his second in the NCAA) with plenty of work ahead. The Eagles start Spring practice in less than a month.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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