Robert Kraft apparently didn’t mince words to Bill Belichick after Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl away from the Patriots last February.
During an appearance on “I Am Athlete,” former Buccaneers running back LeSean McCoy recounted talking with the Patriots owner, and how quickly their chat pivoted to Brady’s departure from New England.
“I said, ‘Hey, Mr. Kraft, how you doing,’ a little small talk — let’s get to the serious thing, cut to the small talk, ‘What happened with the Brady thing, how do you let Tommy leave?’ ” McCoy said. “He’s like this, ‘Oh, I love Tommy, this and that, I’m mad he left. I told Bill … you let Tom win a championship, it’s time for you to win one.’ “
Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick speak in Feb. 2017, after the Patriots defeated the Falcons in the Super BowlGetty ImagesBrady left the Patriots in March 2020 after two decades — and six championship rings. In his first season with McCoy and the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay won a Super Bowl title against the reigning champion Chiefs.
The Patriots, on the other hand, missed the 2020 playoffs but are back in the postseason this year as the No. 6 seed in the AFC. This time, they’ll have rookie quarterback Mac Jones under center.
Tom Brady and LeSean McCoy celebrate after the Buccaneers win Super Bowl 55 in Feb. 2021Getty Images
Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady holds the Lombardi Trophy after winning the Super Bowl in Feb. 2021Getty ImagesMcCoy, 33, has since called it a career, signing a one-day contract in October to retire with the Eagles, the team that selected him in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Brady, 44, and the Buccaneers will face the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC wild-card round of the playoffs.
