Brady refutes notion of rift within Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has spoken out to quash rumors of a rift on the sidelines of the team. 

On Friday ESPN speculated that the partnership between Brady, Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick was about to self-destruct after suggestions the three of them had been feuding.

During a radio interview on Saturday, Brady attempted to silence the story once and for all and heaped praise on his relationships with Kraft and Belichick. 'He's a great person, man. He's been like a second father to me in so many ways,' Brady said of Robert Kraft on Westwood One Sports Radio.  

He said there is is no coach he'd rather play for, adding: 'I certainly couldn't be the player I am today without playing for such a great coach.'

'I love this team, I love this organization, and hopefully we can go out and make everybody proud by finishing this season the right way,' Brady said. 

Responding to claims of  friction he said he sees the working environment Belichick and his teammates as the same as it's been for the last 18 years.

'That we're all there to do a job, and that's to go out to do our best to help the team win,' he told presenter Jim Gray. 'So, that's been very consistent here. That's been a big reason why our team has been so successful, and I don't see that any different heading into this week.'Asked whether there is a different kind of tension following the reports, he replied: 'I don't think so.' 

'I think, in so many ways, adversity that our team has faced over the years only makes us stronger,' he added.

Speaking about head coach Bill Belichick, Brady  offered a similarly glowing review: 'I have a great relationship with coach Belichick. We've worked together for 18 years. There's no coach I'd rather play for, and I've loved my experience here.'

Kraft also appeared to be operating under damage control telling a writer from Sports Illustrated that he fully expected Belichick to 'absolutely' return to coach the team next season. 

He adamantly denied ESPN's claim that Kraft, against Belichick's wishes, forced a trade of backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

'It was a total fabrication and fiction,' Kraft said of the ESPN account. 'I am telling you, it's fiction.'

Belichick also spoke out but released a more controlled statement quashing rumors of a split int he five-times-Superbowl winning team: 

'It is unfortunate that there is even a need for us to respond to these fallacies. As our actions have shown, we stand united,' the statement said.

The original report by ESPN suggested that Belichick disapproved of Brady's relationship with his 'trainer, body coach and business partner' Alex Guerrero, and how Kraft reportedly ordered Belichick to trade Garoppolo. 

The speculation of a head coach defection follows an ESPN report that the Patriots are fracturing at the highest level, with Belichick, Brady and owner Robert Kraft feuding over Brady's controversial training guru Alex Guerrero, who has a history of questionable medical claims and who has been quarreling with the Patriots' medical staff.

Belichick, Brady and Kraft issued a statement on Friday calling those reports of infighting 'unsubstantiated, highly exaggerated or flat out inaccurate,' and Kraft reiterated that denial on Saturday.

Brady dismissed the story on Saturday's radio program saying he was only focused on winning another Super Bowl and that thinking of his relationships being anything but positive would be 'complete nonsense.'

'I love the fact where we're at as a team,' Brady said.
But as the Patriots prepare for their upcoming playoff game next weekend in an attempt to win another Super Bowl, rest assured that NFL fans will be watching Brady and Belichick's every move on the sidelines just as much as the plays on the field.
On Friday, a source close to Belichick told the New York Daily News that the coach 'sees an opening' to return to New York, where he was assistant coach for 12 years, following the Giants' mid-season sacking of coach Ben McAdoo over the Eli Manning controversy.

The notion sent a wave of optimism through fans of New York's football teams - both the Giants and the Patriots' division-rival Jets.

'I'm sure Bill knows this is his last chance to be the Giants coach,' the source said. 'Bill sees an opening — an opening to get to the Giants... The Giants are the only place he wants to be.'

Belichick, whose defensive genius helped lead the Giants to their storied 20-19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, is said to harbor a deep devotion to the New York team, where he worked from 1979 to 1990.