The New England Patriots are getting a key piece back from a major injury sustained this offseason — on the coaching staff.
Safeties coach Brian Belichick, who had been absent from team activities this summer, was spotted on the field at MetLife Stadium during the Patriots’ road game against the New York Jets. It represents a major step forward for Belichick, who still needed a crutch to get around over the weekend.
“I unfortunately sustained a pretty serious knee injury at the start of the summer,” he said. “Had three surgeries and a long recovery to get back to being functional.”
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Belichick said that he’d stayed part of the team during the rehab process, keeping up with the team remotely and participating in meetings via video calls. He says he was able to rejoin the team around the start of the regular season to be around the players and staff again.
Belichick said it was a big boost mentally for him to be back with the team after a tough summer. He noted that it was a “great blessing” to have the resources he has, seeing doctors and physical therapists who work with the team.
So who stepped up the most while he was on the mend? Belichick he didn’t name a player, coach or medical professional.
“The person who definitely stepped up for me the most is my wife, Callie. She’s my everything, because it was hard for me to take care of myself in between surgeries and stuff. So that was enormous. So thankful for her,” Belichick said.
“The people in the building were great, too, reaching out and trying to do whatever they could to help. … It was a team effort, but no one more important than my wife at home. She was, and still is, great supporting me through this. I’m really thankful,” he added.
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So when does the team’s safeties coach expect to be fully operational and off crutches? The younger son of Bill Belichick channeled his father in choosing to not provide specifics.
“It’s day-by-day, just try to see where it takes me on the road to recovery,” he said. “But thankfully I am pretty functional with everything in the building now.”
Belichick said that the Patriots’ experiences going through the 2020 season and deal with COVID restrictions helped him adjust to working with the team remotely, turning what could have been a “jarring change” into a “seamless” transition.
