“It wasn't all a fairy tale”: NFL fans react to Bill Belichick ignoring Robert Kraft in his book

After the New England Patriots relieved him of his duties as the team's head coach following a disappointing 2023 season, Bill Belichick spent the 2024 campaign on the sidelines. He then made the surprise decision to move to college football, joining the University of North Carolina as their new head coach.

While preparing for his first season with the Tar Heels, the 72-year-old finished writing a book titled 'The Art of Winning.'

According to The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy, it's a memoir about his time in the NFL and has a section called 'Acknowledgements,' where he expressed his gratitude to 363 people, including his girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. However, one notable name missing from the extensive list was Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Belichick not only left him and the rest of the Kraft family out of the Acknowledgments section but didn't mention them by name even once. He only referred to them as "they" in a passage about the famed 'Patriot Way,' which the head coach claimed was a marketing gimmick.

Fans on social media expressed their astonishment about the discord between Kraft and Belichick:

Well well well... It wasn't all a fairy tale," another fan said.

"It’s really hard to spot the difference between these two, and my parents that just took six years to get divorced," one user added.

"Robert Kraft is a fraud who deserves no love from Belichick," another fan wrote.

"I mean Kraft basically trashed him with the whole stupid dynasty piece, can't really blame Belichick," another user added.

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Julian Edelman details awkward moment involving Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft at Tom Brady's roast

Since leaving the Patriots, Bill Belichick has ditched his stoic demeanor and showcased his lighter side in interviews, podcast appearances, and most notably as a performer on the Roast of Tom Brady.

He took shots from his former players with a smile before throwing some punches of his own. However, before he went on stage, the veteran head coach came face-to-face with Robert Kraft in the green room, leading to an awkward interaction. Former Patriots star Julian Edelman gave a play-by-play of the moment on the Games with Names podcast, saying:

"Pre-show, we’re in the green room... just chilling in there. Bill was opening up, he’s having fun, he’s talking war stories, talking rookies. Doing s--- we know what Bill’s about, but it was like amplified, because he’s excited to see guys because he doesn’t have a job anymore. [And then Kraft walks in] The tension in that room, though, could cut f---ing glass. It was so awkward. … I was just like, 'Oh s---, this could be some fireworks.' I just walked away."

The two did not come to blows, but those in the room could sense there was no love lost between the duo.