You can tell your grandchildren that you witnessed something momentous on December 20, 2021: Bill Belichick apologized to the media for giving a terse press conference.
On Saturday, after the Patriots lost 27-17 to the Colts, Belichick gave a six-minute press conference with everything you’ve come to expect after a New England loss: sighs, groans and short answers like “We didn’t play well enough to win.”
This is standard fare in Belichick press conferences after losses, and honestly after wins, and at practices in between. Sometimes, when reporters dazzle him with a sophisticated question about blocking schemes or special teams strategy, he’ll give deep, thoughtful answers. But, his press conference on Saturday was not anything particularly out of the ordinary.
The Christmas spirit must have gotten to Belichick, because on Monday morning he apologized to reporters for his gruffness.
“Look, fellas, I apologize if I seemed like I was a little short with you after the game,” Belichick told reporters on Zoom. “You know, obviously a frustrating game, down 20 to nothing, didn’t do anything well enough. I mean, there isn’t really much to say at that point without watching the film.
“Clearly we had problems in every area, so there was no simple answer, and every play could have been better, every area of coaching could have been better, every area of playing could have been better. And any of that would have helped. So, not really trying to be short, but honestly, there wasn’t too much to say. I don’t know that there’s a whole lot more to say now.”
This is something that might only happen once every four or five years, so any reporters on the Patriots beat should savor the moment.
