Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft have been on a collision course for a public fallout ever since the coach's tenure with the New England Patriots ended in 2023.
Belichick did not leave the Patriots on good terms, despite leading them to six Super Bowls, and plenty of finger-pointing ensued through the media. The two NFL legends used their respective platforms to craft their narratives: Kraft through his Apple TV docuseries, "The Dynasty: New England Patriots," and Belichick through his appearance at a Netflix roast for Tom Brady.
The Brady roast ended with Belichick and Kraft taking a shot of alcohol together. We all had a good laugh and expected to move on.
But here are three signs that the Belichick-Kraft relationship is as dysfunctional as ever.
1. Belichick has banned Patriots scouts from attending practices.
Belichick's UNC career is off to a rough start, and it didn't get any better Thursday when it was reported that the struggling coach has banned scouts from his former team, the Patriots, from attending practices at UNC.
John Middlekauff reported this on his “3 and Out” podcast.
“If you’re a scout for the New England Patriots, you are not allowed at the University of North Carolina — which is funny, but kind of embarrassing," Middlekauff said.
2. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel takes a shot at Belichick.
On WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel was asked whether Belichick deserved more time to get the UNC program turned around before the general public can cast judgment. Kind of a layup for Vrabel, who won Super Bowls with Belichick.
Evidently not, as Vrabel seemed to do some bidding for his owner by refusing to defend his former coach.
”I don’t know,” Vrabel replied. “Urban Meyer won 12 of his first 12 games at Ohio State, so it didn’t take him long. That’s my experience in college football.”
3. Kraft suggests he'll build a statue for Belichick.
It wouldn't be a dysfunctional relationship without a power play, and that appears to be what Kraft did on Thursday when he suggested he will build a statue for Belichick at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., when his coaching career comes to an end.
“When that 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching. When Bill’s coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy," Kraft told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche.
Kraft always seems to assert his power in the end, and he's doing that with Belichick by dangling a carrot. Kraft did the same with former coach Bill Parcells, who was inducted to the Patriots Hall of Fame in April of 2025, 29 years after he led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his final season with the team.
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