Sports Media Insider Shares Honest Take On Bill Belichick’s TV Career

Bill Belichick took a different approach to his year between coaching jobs that went against his personality from his time on the sidelines.

Before he accepted the North Carolina job, Belichick spent his first year after his dynastic run with the New England Patriots participating in multiple roles in the football media realm.

He appeared weekly on “The Pat McAfee Show” and the “ManningCast” for ESPN. He served as an analyst for “Inside the NFL” on CW, did an ESPN+ show with Peyton Manning and filled the primary role on Jim Gray’s “Let’s Go” podcast that legendary Patriots quarterback Tom Brady held before he started his FOX broadcast career. Belichick also hosted his own show called “Coach.”

That’s plenty of material and sample size to assess for Belichick. The Athletic’s sports media reporter Andrew Marchand offered a broad yet fairly positive view of the 72-year-old’s performance on-air throughout the season.

“Belichick was really good,” Marchand told NESN.com. “I think if you want insight to what’s going on his mind, he gave it to you. He didn’t hold back that much, if at all. There were some really tough comments. Sometimes it felt like he had some axes to grind. It was still entertaining for the viewer to hear.”

Belichick had several stand-offs with reporters during his coaching career and wasn’t exactly the friendliest at times. Marchand found that shift to a charismatic, enthusiastic on-air figure slightly “hypocritical.” At the same time, he recognized that such a shift and willingness to be transparent on-air made Belichick a capable talent.

“I thought he was really good,” Marchand said. “He’s not the first to disrespect the media then join it. I don’t really like it. It’s pretty hypocritical to act like the media’s beneath you when you’re coaching, but it’s hard to say he wasn’t good and you do want to hear what he says. He’s Bill Belichick and that’s No. 1. Like Tom Brady, you want to hear what he has to say because of the success they’ve had. The question is will that translate from their brain to their mouth? How willing are they to say honest assessments? Even if it’s not critical, you just want insight. He was critical, but you want insight and he gave you that.”

Belichick continues to appear on McAfee’s program since work at North Carolina began and will surely have opinions to share on Super Bowl LIX.