The New England Patriots are about to embark on another NFL season with Bill Belichick as their head coach.
Unfortunately for him, it will be the first since 2007 without his longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday.
The duo reportedly split recently, according to Page Six, which also noted that this was the end of a “drawn-out, back-and-forth breakup for nearly a year.”
The timing is extra awkward for Belichick as it comes right as the Patriots are getting set to honor Tom Brady, who played under the coach for 20 seasons and won six Super Bowls in New England. Brady left after the 2019 season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers amidst rumors that the coach and quarterback had a strained relationship beyond repair.
Sounds familiar.
To be fair, Holliday was an ardent supporter of Belichick, especially when disgruntled fans would call out the coach for letting Brady walk and win another Super Bowl elsewhere. In fact, she made headlines in 2021 when she criticized Brady, which only added fuel to the fire that there was beef between the two.
Reps for Belichick and the Patriots didn’t respond to Page Six’s request for comment and given the longtime coach’s ornery approach to even the most mundane media requests, it’s unlikely they’ll ever hear anything back.
[Page Six]