Bill Belichick released a heartfelt statement honoring Tom Brady after the former New England Patriots quarterback officially announced his retirement from the NFL. In it, he declared Brady "the best player in NFL history."
Brady thanked his longtime head coach for the kind words and returned the favor with a complimentary message of his own.
"Thank you Coach Belichick I appreciate being coached by you the Greatest Coach in NFL history," he wrote on his Instagram story.
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Johnson details Kraft's furious reaction to Brady's retirement post
Since Brady's retirement announcement, which didn't include a single mention of the Patriots, there's been speculation about the seven-time Super Bowl champion still having resentment toward the organization. However, Brady did thank "Patriots Nation" in his response to Patriots owner Robert Kraft before replying to Belichick's statement.
Perhaps the unceremonious end to Brady's tenure in New England still stings, but it's clear there's still plenty of respect between the quarterback and head coach. Six Super Bowl titles and nine appearances over a dynastic 20 years will do that.