Bill Belichick has a reputation for not being even a bit revealing. He’s notoriously tight-lipped with the media. But in an interview with CNBC’s Suzy Welch, Belichick opened up thanks to a word association game.
Bill Belichick playing a word association game is more telling than a normal interview
Belichick’s true feelings on a few topics came out in this simple exercise.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
In the in-depth interview, Belichick seemed at ease. He was more than willing to play along when Welch suggested the word association exercise.
Welch’s first word for Belichick was “football.”
“More sport than business, but it’s a business,” was Belichick’s immediate reply. “I respect the game for the game and for the sport.”
The next words Welch wanted Belichick to address were “the media.” Considering that he’s the guy who just kept saying “Seattle” when reporters asked him about his relationship with Donald Trump, his answer was a bit surprising.
“It’s how a team connects to its fans,” Belichick said.
This next one wasn’t surprising. “Deflategate” was the word Welch gave Belichick.
“Ridiculous,” Belichick said.
“Aaron Hernandez,” was next.
“Tragedy,” Belichick said.
“Heartbreaking,” Welch responded.
“Yes, that would be another word,” Belichick said.
Next up was “winning,” something Belichick, who has a lifetime win percentage of .673, is obviously familiar with.
“The goal,” Belichick said. “There are no medals for trying. This isn’t eighth grade, where everybody gets a trophy. We’re in a professional sport, and it’s competitive to win. That’s what we do.”
There were plenty of other tidbits from the extensive interview, including Belichick’s thoughts about retirement. It’s not really on his mind at present.
“Again, I’m kind of shortsighted here,” Belichick said. “I’m good. Certainly good here this year. Good for a while. I like what I’m doing. I enjoy all parts of the game -- the team building, training camp, game days, the excitement of Sundays.”
When Welch asked Belichick if it’s still fun for him, he sounded confident.
“It certainly is,” Belichick said. “It beats working.”
Belichick is coming off a historic comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, and it’s clear that he’s still got it. Since he still loves coaching, too, expect to see him in New England for the foreseeable future.
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