Charles Krupa/AP
- According to ESPN, there is a growing division between Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and Robert Kraft, and much of it stems from Alex Guerrero, Brady’s trainer and business partner.
- Guerrero and Brady’s work together has reportedly created confusion on the team as players are unsure whether to work with Brady and Guerrero or the team’s medical staff.
- After allowing Guerrero access to the team and facilities, Belichick revoked Guerrero’s access this season.
- Some insist something has to change, as the drama has left the Patriots’ future more uncertain than ever.
ESPN’s bombshell report on the New England Patriots dropped on Friday and revealed a growing fracture on the most successful team of the past two decades.
According to ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and team owner Robert Kraft have been experiencing infighting, and, according to the report, most of it stems from Brady’s trainer and business partner Alex Guerrero.
Brady began working with Guerrero in 2004, when Guerrero had already worked with other Patriots players. A trainer and nutritionist with a sketchy background, Guerrero helped Brady dive into the world of pliability. Together, they founded the TB12 Sports Therapy Center and wrote “The TB12 Method” in 2017 about Brady’s lifestyle and training methods. Since working with Guerrero, the report said, Brady has focused in on playing into his mid-40s.
According to the report, Guerrero was first accepted by Belichick and the Patriots, with Belichick believing that if Guerrero had Brady’s best interests in mind, he would have the team’s best interest in mind. Belichick granted Guerrero freedom in the Patriots facilities, and Guerrero began working with other players.
However, according to ESPN, players have been confused about whether to see Guerrero for injuries and training or to go to team doctors.
From ESPN:
“New players felt the surest way to earn Brady’s trust was to join Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and others by seeking advice from Guerrero at his TB12 clinic — and not team doctors, which Belichick preferred … But according to multiple sources, players openly discussed with Patriots coaches, staff and trusted advisers whether to follow Brady or the team, leaving them trapped: Do we risk alienating the NFL’s most powerful coach or risk alienating the NFL’s most powerful quarterback?”
When Belichick reportedly tried to discuss the matter with Brady, Brady denied knowing of any such division or pressue the players might be under, leaving the matter unsettled.
According to the report, Belichick eventually tried to clarify Guerrero’s role by revoking his access to the sidelines and team headquarters, but allowing him to work with players who sought him out. When Guerrero reportedly emailed players to say they would have to go the TB12 center, it created some confusion that Belichick was preventing players from working with Guerrero.
Details of an alleged rift between Belichick and Guerrero had been growing this year. Wickersham previously reported that a “collision” was coming between the two men, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter also referred to a “feud” there but didn’t have specifics.
Stemming from the rift between Guerrero and Belichick was Brady’s desire to keep playing. According to the ESPN report, the team was at odds over transitioning from Brady to backup Jimmy Garoppolo, with Belichick reportedly feeling Garoppolo could eventually succeed Brady and keep the team in championship form. Brady’s contract negotiations with Kraft were reportedly somewhat contentious, and with Garoppolo rejecting contract extension offers from the Patriots, Kraft eventually demanded Belichick trade Garoppolo. He did so, making Brady both the present and future of the Patriots.
It’s unclear where the team goes from here. According to ESPN, Belichick’s plans are unknown, and some wonder if he can withstand another year of Brady and Guerrero drama. The team has no future quarterback, and could lose its two coordinators to head-coaching jobs this offseason.
According to Wickersham, people in the organization say “something has to change.”
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