Tom Brady’s Dad, Trainer Speak About Bill Belickick, QB’s Exit From New England

Tom Brady makes his return to New England on Oct. 3 and there’s been plenty of talk about the superstar quarterback’s exit from the Patriots. Some close to Brady believe that Bill Belichick was ready to move on, a decision that looks more confusing by the day.

First, it was Brady’s father, Tom Brady Sr., who spoke about the quarterback’s departure. Brady Sr. told Tom E. Curran on NBC Sports Boston’s “Patriots Talk Podcast” that Belichick wanted Brady out the door.

“He’s more than happy that he’s moved on because it was pretty obvious that the Patriots regime felt that it was time for him to move on,” Tom Brady Sr. said. “And frankly, it may have well been perfect to move on from him.”

Brady Sr. said his son’s decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was vindicated by the team’s Super Bowl championship in February. Brady set a record with his fifth Super Bowl MVP award, which he won at 43 years old.

Working with trainer Alex Guerrero, Brady has managed to stave off Father Time and continue to perform at a Hall-of-Fame level. Guerrero believes that Belichick should’ve treated Brady differently as he entered the latter stages of his career.

“It was like Bill never really ... I think his emotions or feelings never evolved with age," Guerrero told the Boston Herald Wednesday. “As Tom got into his late 30s or early 40s, I think Bill was still trying to treat him like that 20-year-old kid that he drafted. And all the players, I think, realized Tom was different. He's older, so he should be treated differently. And all the players, none of them would have cared that he was treated differently.

“I think that was such a Bill thing. He never evolved. So you can't treat someone who's in his 40s like they're 20. It doesn't work.”

Brady hasn’t explicitly said that he left New England because Belichick wanted him gone. They won six Super Bowls together, forming the greatest head coach-quarterback tandem in NFL history.

As Brady won a title in his first season with the Bucs, the Patriots went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. New England has its second starting quarterback in two years after Brady was the team’s starter for 19 seasons.