Daniels: Why I'm grateful for Bill Belichick

FOXBOROUGH – I was devastated. Hours before the Patriots 2019 regular-season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, my father, Paul Daniels, passed away after battling with lung disease.

Being a sportswriter is challenging when it comes to families and schedules, but this was different. I drove to Gillette Stadium and fought back tears watching the Patriots defeat the Steelers, 33-3. The score resonated with me because my dad’s birthday was Nov. 3.

After the game, I stayed away from Gillette Stadium for four days for my father’s funeral and wake. I returned for a Bill Belichick press conference that next Friday. I remember asking him about assistant coach Troy Brown, but not much else sticks out about that press conference other than me trying to hold it together.

I loved my dad and our bond was only strengthened by sports, the Patriots and Belichick.

When Belichick’s press conference ended, Stacey James, the team’s Vice President of Communications, called my name and asked me to step outside the press conference room. Belichick was standing there and immediately reached out his hand and offered his sincerest condolences about the passing of my father.

At this moment, Belichick wasn’t like the Belichick you see on TV or hear on the radio. He showed a sympathetic and humanistic side that we don’t always get to see. From there, we chatted about my dad, his dad, and the role sports played in us bonding with our fathers.

When Belichick and Robert Kraft announced last week that they were mutually parting, I reflected on my time covering the Patriots. Last year marked my 10th season on the beat and among the many memories I hold, that conversation with Belichick will forever stick with me. I learned a lot from the greatest coach in NFL history, but at that time, he showed me a different side and I’m grateful for it.

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Belichick has spoken about his dad in the past. Steve Belichick was a longtime assistant football coach at Navy. He’s the reason why his son, loved the sport. I remember him telling me about how football brought him, his father, and his children closer together. I replied that it was the same for me and my dad.

Growing up in the 90′s, I watched a wide range of Patriots teams. My dad was a diehard fan and on Sunday our television was tuned to Patriots football – for better or worse. I remember sitting with him through those tough seasons. I was in first grade in 1992 when the Patriots went 2-14. When they drafted Drew Bledsoe, in 1994, my dad rushed out to buy me a jersey and got his hands on every rookie card he could find. We both bemoaned Bill Parcells’ decision to leave and I was even more crushed when my favorite player, Curtis Martin followed him to the Jets.

I vividly remember asking my dad about when the Patriots would be good. He theorized when ‘cars could fly,’ so I thought that meant the year 2000.

He was kind of right. When Belichick took over, everything changed. At that point, being a Boston sports fan was more about misery. Larry Bird was gone, and Rick Pitino wasn’t the answer. We saw Ray Bourque win a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. With the Red Sox, the curse of the Bambino felt very real.

Paul Daniels, wearing his favorite Patriots hat, stands at a car show in New Hampshire.

My life changed in part due to Belichick. That 2001 Super Bowl team was the first championship squad I witnessed with my father. We bonded over football long before Tom Brady came to New England. My dad would put on VHS tapes of the 1985 Patriots losing to the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. He taught me about Patriots tackle Bruce Armstrong and tight end Ben Coates.

Our relationship was strengthened due to the Patriots dynasty. My dad wasn’t a football coach, like Belichick’s, but his love of sports resonated with me, and I knew when I was in high school I wanted to write about sports for the rest of my life.

When I graduated from the University of New Hampshire, my goal was to write about the Patriots. I wanted to be in those press conferences with Belichick even if they weren’t easy.

Covering Belichick was one of the highlights of my professional career. He was tough, but if you really listened to what he said, you’d learn. Over the years, I had a much better understanding of football. There were times that Belichick scoffed at my question or shut me down. On the right day, with the right question, he’d enlighten me and give me an answer that often made me walk away and say to myself, ‘I just learned something from the greatest coach in football history.’

Those moments aren’t the ones we see on TV or hear on the radio. Belichick often goes viral for his non-answers or shutting down a reporter with ease. In the right moment, however, he could be generous.

The perfect example is when he pulled me into a hallway, steps away from the Patriots locker room. He extended his hand and we bonded over the loss of our fathers. It’s a moment people rarely get to see and one I’ll forever remember.

A year after my dad, Belichick’s mother, Jeannette Belichick, passed away. I mailed him a sympathy card, writing my condolences and again, thanking him for what he said to me about my father. Three months later, Belichick sent a letter back, thanking me for my kind words.

I’m grateful to have covered Belichick. I’ve been to five Super Bowls and twice went to the White House under two different presidents. That day, inside Gillette Stadium, however, will forever resonate with me and I’m thankful to have witnessed a different side of this legendary NFL coach.