Tom Brady on Bill Belichick Relationship: 'Nothing's Really Accurate That I Ever See'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady returned to his old stomping grounds and helped his team beat the New England Patriots 19-17 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Much has been made about the relationship between Brady and Pats head coach Bill Belichick, who worked together for two decades to bring six Super Bowl titles to New England.

Henry McKenna of Patriots Wire relayed some postgame comments Brady made regarding his relationship with Belichick. The quarterback largely kept things private while noting that he hasn't seen anything truthful about the pair's relationship.

As Jeff Howe of The Athletic noted, Belichick went into the Bucs locker room for 23 minutes after the game and walked out with Brady, leading to the line of questioning above.

According to NBC Sports' Peter King, Brady said:

"It was a very personal, private thing. We've always had that type of relationship where we can say things to each other. You know, whoever characterizes our relationship is completely wrong. People want to focus on so much stuff that's so unimportant. You know? We were together for 20-plus years, and we were so productive and successful and I learned so much from him. Loved my experience here, loved my relationship with him.

"We'd known each other for 20-plus years, and when I left here, we just didn't have a chance—he was out of town—to meet. When I went down to Tampa, it was COVID. I was thinking about my season and so was he. It was just, we've known each other for a long time, and we didn't have a chance to talk, and tonight we did, and it was great."

Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today gave a breakdown and timeline of the relationship between the quarterback and head coach, who were together in New England from 2000-2019 before Brady left in free agency for Tampa Bay.

At least publicly, the two appeared to be on good terms. The pair shared a quick hug at midfield postgame before parting ways, only to meet up in the visiting locker room later.

For now, it's all business as the two men focus on their team's respective seasons.

The Bucs moved to 3-1 with the win as they search for back-to-back Super Bowl titles. Sunday served as a bounce-back victory following a 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams the week before.

In New England, an influx of talent via free agency has only led to one win in four games. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones did impress Sunday, however, as the Pats look toward a brighter future.