For over two decades, Bill Belichick has been painted as the NFL’s ultimate disciplinarian. He’s the stoic mastermind whose monotone press conferences, trademark hoodie, and no-nonsense demeanor became as iconic as his six Super Bowl rings.
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But as we have learnt since his New England exit, Belichick is not all about the X’s and O’s. From joining “Instaface” to the legendary coach enjoying life with girlfriend Jordon Hudson while leading UNC, there’s a lighter, completely unexpected side to him.
And now, thanks to one of his former players, we are getting to know more about it.
Appearing on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, JuJu Smith-Schuster peeled back the curtain on his time in New England, describing what it was really like to work under Belichick’s famously rigid regime. And let’s just say, for a ‘happy-go-lucky’ guy with a big social media presence, the adjustment wasn’t easy.
“Bill’s a great dude, man. Love Bill. But total opposite… ‘Do not let your personality show.’ It’s like, let’s just go out there, play football, win the game,” the now-Chiefs WR said, before admitting,
“It was a little bit of an adjustment, being able to be on social media but also still be yourself, go out there, play, and have fun.”
But as it turned out, the Patriots head man wasn’t his stoic self all the time. The moment that truly flipped Smith-Schuster’s perception came during his very first interaction with Belichick.
“When I first got the call from New England, I was talking to the head coach. Usually, you’re done talking to the head coach, and then you’ll talk to the GM and the owner, right? So I’m getting ready to talk to the GM… he’s like, ‘Hello, it’s the GM.’ Still Belichick! Bill’s the GM and the head coach,” he recalled.
And then, completely out of nowhere, came the moment that made Smith-Schuster realize this wasn’t going to be a normal call:
“My first experience with him, man… he told me like a di*k joke. It just caught me off guard. I was like, ‘Oh, okay. This is the Patriots way. This is what we do here to win Super Bowls.’”
That said, while Smith-Schuster may not have lit up the stat sheet in his lone season with the Patriots (29 catches, 260 yards, and one touchdown), he did walk away with a newfound appreciation for the football genius behind the hoodie.
“When you talk about head coaches and defensive schemes—like Mike Tomlin, like Belichick—these guys, man, they’re so good at what they do. You have linebackers playing safety, safeties playing linebacker, rotating. He’s a great defensive-minded coach,” he said.
Belichick’s reputation as a schematic innovator isn’t lost on anyone who’s played for him. His ability to get players to master multiple positions and adjust mid-game has long been one of his hallmarks, and JuJu admitted that seeing it up close was “really cool.”
But now, as Belichick navigates a completely new challenge with his first season coaching at North Carolina, the Super Bowl winner offered his take on his former coach’s college experiment as well.
“Honestly, I feel like him going to college was a lot different, man. You’re dealing with younger kids who are probably immature and probably want money and the NFL lifestyle… But he’s going to figure it out at the end of the day. He always does,” he said.
Sitting at 4-5 with the Tar Heels, Belichick certainly seems to be finding his footing, riding a two-game winning streak in the ACC after a rocky start. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep the momentum going and finish the season strong.
