Former Patriots star reveals how not even Tom Brady was exempt from Bill Belichick's tough love

Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retired last week and leaves behind a legacy like no other in the game of football.

He retired with the most Super Bowl rings for any player and is regarded as the greatest quarterback ever.

Brady spent 20 seasons with the Patriots, where he gained unprecedented success with head coach Bill Belichick. The two are considered the best QB-head coach duo in NFL history.

While Brady is one of the most respected athletes in the world of sports, he did get criticized by his head coach in ways that he never received from others.

Former Patriots running back and Super Bowl champion LeGarrette Blount joined The Pat McAfee Show. He told the host how Belichick even showed Tom Brady some tough love.

He recalled a situation where Tom Brady missed a guy wide open down the sideline and Belichick criticized him for it.

"When I got to New England, though, I immediately knew that the respect level for Tom was high. The first meeting that we had, Bill told everyone, 'Hey bro make sure you guys are on time, all that good stuff, but the first time I heard him yell at him [Brady], I forgot what game it was, but he had a wide open guy running down on the sideline and he missed him.

"Bill was basically saying, 'Hey man, you are an NFL quarterback, you're supposed to be this Pro Bowl guy, supposed to be this guy high and might, if you're the best quarterback like all these people walk around sucking you off, if you're this guy, look, there's 100 other football players, college guys, even high school guys, [who] can hit this wide open guy on a throw."

Blount added:

"Once I seen that, I was like, 'Oh sh*t. There's nobody exempt from this considering the fact that he talked to 12 in that manner.'"

LeGarrette Blount won two Super Bowls with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick

Tom Brady and LeGarrette Blount won two Super Bowls together

Blount joined the Patriots on April 27th, 2013. He was traded from the Buccaneers for running back Jeff Demps and a seventh-round selection (229th overall) in the 2013 NFL draft.

With the Patriots, he won two Super Bowls (XLIX and LI). In 2017, he signed with the Eagles and faced the Patriots in the Super Bowl, earning his third ring as the Eagles won 41-33. Blount retired from the game of football on December 5, 2020.

If you use any of the above quotes, please credit LeGarrette Blount, The Pat McAfee Show, and H/T Sportskeeds