Without a doubt, there is still plenty of hostility between Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft.
While the duo experienced considerable success while working together, it doesn't necessarily mean that their relationship was perfect. Even while winning six Super Bowl titles during Belichick's 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots, the two individuals don't seem to agree on quite a few things, especially with regard to how Belichick's reign with the franchise ended.
While both men are up there in age (Kraft is 84 while Belichick is 73), it hasn't stopped them from taking shots toward each other.
The banter heated up in July following Kraft's appearance on the Dudes on Dudes podcast, hosted by former Patriot stars Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski. Kraft noted that he took a "big risk" in hiring Belichick, a statement the new head coach of the UNC football program didn't agree with.
Belichick responded by noting it was he who took the "big risk," given he already had the head coaching position with the New York Jets secured.
Fast forward to this week, and Belichick wasn't done adding some additional digs in the direction of Kraft and his family.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe spoke to Belichick in-depth about the differences between coaching in the NFL compared to the college level. The former Patriots head coach mentioned a few glaring discrepancies, making sure to throw another dagger in Kraft's direction in the process.
“It’s a much more cohesive, and I’d say unified, view of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it. It’s a lot of football, and there’s not much in your way.
There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son. There’s no cap, everything that goes with the marketing and everything else, which I’m all for that. But it’s way less of what it was at that level."
Needless to say: there's plenty of hostility that continues to boil between the two sides.
While they continue to take shots at each other, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Patriots put together an incredible run with Kraft as the owner and Belichick as the franchise's head coach. For now, the two will likely continue their hostility toward each other, but in the end, the hope is that they can mend their differences in the future.
For now, we can all enjoy the back-and-forth banter between the two.