Bill Belichick’s relationship with the media was complicated, to say the least, and one former Patriot felt the brunt of the heavy expectations of the culture the former New England head coach wanted to establish.
“The Dynasty” docuseries premiered Friday on Apple TV+, and the Patriots’ relationship with the media was a talking point when the first two episodes chronicled the beginning of New England’s run with the switch from Drew Bledsoe to Tom Brady. Longtime executive and Belichick confidant Ernie Adams laid out the belief that anyone who wasn’t in Foxboro had no idea what they were talking point, which was a sentiment seen firsthand when Mike Felger and Michael Lombardi went at it last year.
That mindset likely came from the top, and Adam Vinatieri on Friday told a story involving Matt Light and Belichick when he was a guest host on the “Pat McAfee Show”
“Matt was a rookie, and he loved to talk to the media,” Vinatieri said. “And I remember Belichick one time saying, ‘Hey Matt, I don’t want to anymore f-ing words from you to the media. Here’s the thing, if I hear another statement from you to the media, if I see another quote from you, I’m gonna fine you.’ So the media’s in his locker, and guys are laughing because they’re asking him questions. And he’s sitting here, and he’s literally not saying a word. There was definitely some heat from up top that said: You don’t talk about injuries. He wanted to make sure it was a very tight ship, that nobody leaked out any information.”
Belichick kept his terse tone with the media throughout the Patriots dynasty, but the moments where he was more cheery than usual were ones that fans and media members clung onto while tolerating the nonanswers he was more renowned for.
Vinatieri is featured in “The Dynasty,” and it’s likely fans will hear more anecdotes as more episodes continue to be released, though maybe not from Belichick himself.
