Thursday morning was a monumental one in New England. According to multiple reports, the Patriots decided to part ways with head coach Bill Belichick after 24 seasons together.
WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show reacted to the breaking news in real time, and most of the show didn’t like the move, including former Patriot Jermaine Wiggins, who played for Belichick in 2000 and 2001. Listen to the full segment above.
“Say it ain’t so, man,” Wiggy said. “What are we doing? What is Robert [Kraft] doing? Come on, Robert.”
Wiggy and Greg Hill were both surprised by the timing.
“This is not the way I expected it to go,” Hill said. “I thought it would be Friday 5 p.m., 7 p.m.”
“I thought the less we heard, the better the chance he had of coming back,” Wiggy said.
Producer Chris Curtis acknowledged the greatness of what Belichick accomplished over two-plus decades, but was the lone voice of dissent on the show in believing that it was time to move on.
“This today puts an end to the single greatest trade in Boston sports history, arguably in the history of the NFL or the history of North American team sports,” Curtis said. “Maybe the Babe Ruth trade is a little better. But the Patriots traded a couple first-round picks to the Jets for the rights to negotiate a deal with Bill Belichick. That singular decision by Robert Kraft changed everything.”
“It is a good day, going forward. It was time,” Curtis added. “If Bill Belichick was the boss of Bill Belichick, he would’ve fired him. They’re just doing business the way he did business: Heartless, but with the best interests of the team at heart.”
“I would just say to you and others, Curtis: Be careful what you wish for,” Hill responded.
“What are we doing? Didn’t we learn from the mistakes of Brady as an organization?,” Wiggy added, referencing quarterback Tom Brady’s departure in 2020. “He’s still gonna coach. Like you’re just gonna let this guy go elsewhere? All right, well the succession plan, let’s see where they go. Is it [Mike] Vrabel? Is it [Jerod] Mayo?”
“I would be happy with either of those guys,” co-host Courtney Cox said. “I wish it was Bill Belichick. But I don’t know how you go with Vrabel after everything that’s played out with Mayo.”
“I was wrong about it, and so is Robert,” Wiggy concluded. “I don’t think this is a good decision, but I don’t own the team.”
Shortly after the news broke, fellow former Patriot Rob Ninkovich, who played for Belichick from 2009-16, joined the show. He wasn’t surprised by the news. Listen to the full interview with Ninkovich below.
“No, honestly. Didn’t it feel like the writing was on the wall kind of?,” Ninkovich said. “You felt it a little bit. It was awkward at times. This season was not good. It’s a sad day. It’s a weird one of those days where you think, wow, the last 20-plus years has been an amazing journey. We won so many games, championships. The end of an era. It’s a bit sad, it is. But I think you also have to look at it in the sense of, there’s always going to be an ending and there’s always going to be a new start. What’s the new start? We’ll find out soon.”
Ninkovich also thanked Belichick for everything he did for him personally.
“What he did for me personally and my family, I can’t thank him enough,” Ninkovich said. “He gave me the opportunity to play in the NFL and have a career and win championships. I’m forever grateful for that opportunity.”