Back in 2009, a then-57-year-old Bill Belichick said that he wouldn’t “be like Marv Levy and coaching into my 70s.” Ten years later, he walked that statement back during an appearance on WEEI.
“When I said it, maybe I didn't know what 70 felt like,” he said. “So I'm not really sure if that's an accurate statement today or not. At the time, I didn't feel that way. Now that I'm closer to that age, I don't know.”
Well, Belichick turned 70 back in April and is very much still coaching, with his 23rd season as the Patriots’ head coach set to begin on Sunday.
In an interview with the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy published Friday, Belichick reiterated his regret over that Marv Levy comment 13 years ago.
“I wish I hadn’t said that,” Belichick said. “I was probably thinking of what I would feel like. Now, there’s what I actually feel like, and those are two different things. That was not one of my better statements.”
Levy, the longtime Bills coach, ultimately retired at age 72 in 1997. In 2020, former Belichick assistant Romeo Crennel became the oldest head coach in NFL history when he coached the Texans at age 73.
So, how much longer can Belichick go at this point? During a recent appearance on The Greg Hill Show, he said he wasn’t thinking about anything beyond Week 1 against the Dolphins and that he feels “good.”
Part of the reason he probably feels good is that turning 70 inspired him to get healthier, citing work he’s been doing with Moses Cabrera, the Patriots’ head strength and conditioning coach.
“I’ve got a couple of people here that help me with that,” Belichick told the Globe. “Moses works me pretty hard. I’ve dropped a few pounds this year, so I’m not as fat as I used to be.”
Asked by Shaughnessy if he could see himself coaching another 10 years into his 80s, Belichick declined to rule it out the way he once (inaccurately) ruled out coaching into his 70s.
“I’ve learned my lesson on that one,” Belichick said. “One year at a time.”
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