“Love it” – Bill Belichick gets very un-Belichick in response to Antonio Brown reference

Bill Belichick is not the most friendly head coach. The New England Patriots coach also had a brief run-in with the controversial and enigmatic Antonio Brown. Following Brown's exit from the Pittsburgh Steelers, he landed with the Las Vegas Raiders. He blew things up there and was recruited by Tom Brady to join the Patriots.

He didn't make it there, either, as off-field issues continued to plague him and certainly didn't set a good reputation in that building. However, it appears as if Belichick has a bit of a soft spot for the former wide receiver.

Belichick walked up to the podium and said:

"Good morning, how's business? Booming? Love it."

The reporters told him that business was booming, which is a clear reference to Brown. Shockingly, the legendary head coach didn't seem fazed by it. In fact, he seemed to appreciate the reference.

Not only did Belichick say he loved it, but he also cracked a smile. Over his nearly 50 years of coaching experience, only a precious few reporters have ever been graced by a Bill Belichick smile.

The fact that it came in reference to the very controversial wide receiver who barely even suited up for the Patriots before blowing the situation up is shocking.

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Antonio Brown played one game for Bill Belichick

In 2019, which ended up being Tom Brady's final year with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, the skill position room was pretty barren. When Antonio Brown once again flamed out at another team, they thought he could help them and they could help him.

Antonio Brown played with Tom Brady twice.

Unfortunately, that lasted a single, solitary game. Brown suited up just once and saw eight targets. For what it's worth, he did a great job with those targets, recording four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't the production that caused him to leave.

He would go on to eventually rejoin Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, where he spent parts of two seasons with the Super Bowl winner before again blowing up and effectively leaving the NFL for good.