Tom Brady Responds to Bill Belichick Rumors, Says Goodbye Was 'Handled the Right Way'

Ahead of Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady's relationship with his former head coach Bill Belichick has been put under a microscope.

In his upcoming book, It's Better to Be Feared, ESPN's Seth Wickersham revealed that Belichick chose not to meet with Brady in person before the quarterback left the Patriots.

On Thursday, Brady clarified that he has no ill feelings toward Belichick and no issues with how his exit from New England was handled.

"We had a great relationship," Brady told reporters. "Everything was handled the right way, we handled everything as gracefully as we could. There was an amazing time, and it was handled perfectly."

Brady, who won six Super Bowls alongside Belichick while playing for the Patriots for 20 seasons, will face off against his old coach for the first time Sunday night. He led the Buccaneers to their second Super Bowl title last season in his first year away from New England.

"I think everyone understood where we were at, the people involved in the situation," Brady continued. "Things worked out for the best for all of us and we're all trying to do the best we can do now."

At 44 years old, Brady leads the league with 10 passing touchdowns and ranks second with 1,087 passing yards. In a Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Brady became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for 80,000 yards, joining former Saints star Drew Brees. Brady trails Brees by 67 yards and will likely break the record Sunday in New England.

The Buccaneers remain a favorite to repeat as champions after retaining nearly all of their core players from last year's team. Brady said he's driven by a desire to prove Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians right for taking a chance on him.

"The people who really bet on me, I wanna do really well for them," Brady said. "Jason and Bruce, I think them coming into my life and saying, 'Hey, we really want you to be here,' it's been an amazing thing for me."