The Foxboro Divorce is Getting Messier

Brace yourselves Pats fans. There’s a storm coming.

If you haven’t heard about the latest Patriots tell-all book from Jeff Benedict, I can’t say I blame you. A combination of Bruins depression and Celtics optimism has rightly dominated attention for the past week.

As we move closer to football and further into the Brady-Belichick divorce, more dirty laundry is being aired.

Last week, we had the article from the New York Post, which detailed the severity of Brady’s hand injury in 2018. It was the kind of inside scoop we used to love about our quarterback’s athletic heroism. It also did its part to further depict Belichick as the soulless drill sergeant. These are narratives we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. 

This is insane. We knew it wasn’t good at the time, but what he did with the full story of this injury in hindsight is mind-blowing. Maybe the worst part is the fact that Bill could barely be bothered to acknowledge it. That is ridiculous. https://t.co/UIeoHp9RbP

— Sevrin Lavenstein (@Sevrin_L) August 30, 2020

Now, new details will emerge from this book, soon to hit shelves near you. In it, we will learn all sorts of inside information, like how apparently Brady wanted a way out in 2010 and again in 2018. There will probably be more about how Bill was actually the driving force behind Antonio Brown, and that Brady wasn’t happy they cut Brian Hoyer and Demaryius Thomas.

There will be more subtle shots from either side. It likely won’t be inspirational quotes in a Facebook post or vague lyrics on an Instagram story. It’s more like two minutes straight from Belichick on how no one works harder than Cam Newton. Or the way Brady loves finally working with an offensive-minded coach. 

"Nobody works harder than @CameronNewton."

Needless to say, @Patriots coach Bill Belichick has been pleased with his new quarterback.#GoPats | #PatsCamp pic.twitter.com/f00oXOOHoS

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) August 31, 2020

It’s sad to see two people you love acting this way. They were once perfect for each other. But, as with any messy breakup, everyone has to pick a side. You’re either standing with your buddy on the lawn, or you’re up on the balcony hurling belongings over the rail. 

Which side are you on? Team Belichick? Team Brady?

Perhaps it’s more complicated. You could be in the camp that believes Bill just became too much of a grump. Or, you think Brady morphed into an ego-inflated diva. Maybe it’s Gisele’s fault for pulling a Yoko Ono on The Beatles of football.

You might believe that some counseling could have saved this marriage. That someone should have sat them down and made them realize that there was still some magic between the two. The kind of magic like, I don’t know, a super bowl run the year prior? 

In the end, it’s all just rather depressing. The sniping on each side is only going to get worse. We will continue to move further away from the happiness and success of a once perfect union.

Adam Glanzman – Getty Images