What to Know
- A new book by ESPN's Ian O'Connor digs into the complicated relationship between Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
- The book says Brady was so angry with his coach that as late as March of 2018, he wasn't sure if he would return to the Patriots.
- The book also includes sections about "Deflategate" and Aaron Hernandez.
A new book reveals new details about the reason why New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady almost walked away from football this offseason.
A new book by ESPN's Ian O'Connor, "Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time," digs into the complicated relationship between Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
"If you're married 18 years to a grouchy person who gets under your skin and never compliments you, after a while you want to divorce him," a source with knowledge of the Brady-Belichick relationship said in an excerpt from the book. "Tom knows Bill is the best coach in the league, but he's had enough of him. If Tom could, I think he would divorce him."
Some have speculated that Brady's absence from voluntary workouts this offseason was related to growing tension between him and Belichick stemming from the coach's decision to ban Brady's trainer and business partner, Alex Guerrero, from the sidelines during games.
O'Connor's book, which will be released next week, says Brady was so angry with his coach that as late as March of 2018, he wasn't sure if he would return to the Patriots.
But in the end, Brady decided he couldn't walk away from the game.
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The book also takes a look back at the "Deflategate" controversy, and shows how that may have also contributed to the supposed rift between Belichick and Brady.
Brady was reportedly upset at Belichick for telling reporters to ask Brady about deflated balls, and the book also reveals that Belichick had "serious doubts" about Brady's claim that he had nothing to do with the deflation of footballs.
The book also includes a section about Aaron Hernandez, saying that former University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer, a friend of Belichick's, reportedly warned at least one NFL team not to draft the talented tight end because of his drug use and other issues. The book says Meyer was shocked when Belichick drafted Hernandez.
