Tom Brady's departure from the New England Patriots and stunning breakup with longtime head coach Bill Belichick was handled properly. That's what the 44-year-old quarterback told reporters on Thursday, when asked about his upcoming return to Foxboro.
Whether or not Brady's split was acrimonious, Sunday's primetime matchup between New England and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is arguably the most highly-anticipated regular season game in NFL history. Must-see television. But former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson remains annoyed that Brady left, and he blames Belichick for the relationship's end.
"I feel that Belichick's hubris, pride, and ego got in the way of [Brady staying with the Pats]," Johnson told The Zach Gelb Show on Thursday. "Tom wanted to stay, Bill didn't want him to stay, that's really how it went down. And that's the unfortunate thing. Tom knew he needed Bill to be the GOAT. He's always known that. He's always wanted to have a partnership with Bill.
"So, Bill didn't reciprocate in time, and I think that was the deepest cut of all... That's the unfortunate thing. It's hard for a lot of people around here knowing that. People are kind of learning this, they're trying to figure it out. But once you hear more and more about how it was behind the scenes, I think more people really kind of want to see Tom stick it to Bill, in some ways."
Although Brady is treating this week like any other business trip, he won't be able to ignore the emotions on Sunday. He won six Super Bowl titles with the Patriots across two decades, and Thursday marked the 20th anniversary of his first career start, which took place at the old Foxboro Stadium.
Belichick won't be facing a lesser version of Brady, either. The veteran has completed 68.8-percent of his passes for 1,087 yards with 10 touchdowns and two picks through three games. He'll also have a chance to make history up in Foxboro, as he's 68 yards away from breaking the NFL's all-time passing yards record, held by future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees (80,358).
Tampa Bay (2-1) and New England (1-2) are scheduled to kick off at 8:25 ET on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Patriots currently have a 29-percent chance to reach the playoffs and an 11-percent chance to win the AFC East.
The entire Patriots conversation between Johnson and Gelb can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The Zach Gelb Show on Twitter @ZachGelb and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.