6 rings: Thank you for everything, Bill Belichick
“Robert and I, after a series of discussions, have mutually agreed to part ways,” Bill Belichick said on Thursday afternoon as he took the Patriots podium one final time.
It was the head coach making it official, following numerous reports early Thursday, that his time in New England is up.
“For me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration,” Belichick continued. “I’ll start with Robert [Kraft] and his family. So much thanks for the opportunity to be the head coach here for 24 years. It was an amazing opportunity. I received tremendous support. We had a vision of building a winner, building a championship football team here, and it exceeded my wildest dreams and expectations, the amount of success we were able to achieve together.”
You can watch Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft's full press conference here:
The 72-year-old would go on to thank his coaching staffs, team employees, and more before getting choked up while thanking the Patriots’ fans:
“To the fans, the fans here are amazing,” he said with a lump in his throat. “There’s so many memories with the fans. The send-offs, the parades, the Sundays. Whatever the situations are. The letters of support. The – seeing the fans away from here, you know at a gas station or a grocery store or wherever you should bump into them. Patriot fans, and not just in New England, but they extend nationally and even internationally, as I’ve traveled. It’s amazing how far the arm reaches. We saw that this year in Germany. So appreciative of the fans for all of the support they’ve given me, my family, and this football team.”
“I’ll always be a Patriot,” Belichick finished. “I look forward to coming back here, but at this time, we’re gonna move on and I look forward and am excited for the future. Always very appreciative of the opportunity here, the support here, and Robert what you’ve done for me. Thank you.”
He turned it over to Robert Kraft.
“As Bill mentioned,” the team owner said, “yesterday we met and mutually agreed to part ways, amicably.”
He went on to explain how like any good marriage, his relationship with Belichick required a lot of hard work, and that he's proud it lasted 24 years.
“We had high expectations for what we could achieve together,” Kraft explained of their goals for the franchise. “I think we were the only ones who had those expectations, and I think it’s safe to say, we exceeded them.”
“We did,” Belichick answered.
“Thanks to you,” the owner said back.
While thanking the head coach for all that he did for his team, Kraft ended it with this:
“It’ll be difficult to see him in a cut-off hoodie on [another team’s sideline], but I’ll always continue to wish him continued success, except when he’s playing our beloved Patriots.”
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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