Belichick, Brady, Kraft release statement denying rift

Early Friday morning ESPN published an explosive report on how the beginning of the end of the Patriots as we know them is further along than we thought. Author Seth Wickersham suggests that a rift between Bill Belichick and the unified Tom Brady-Robert Kraft faction has been brewing that culminated in Belichick being forced to trade Jimmy Garoppolo.

Several hours later the Patriots released a statement presenting a unified front:

Joint statement from Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady: pic.twitter.com/i555gWZIi6

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 5, 2018

Whether or not Wickersham’s piece is entirely spot on, it had a series of fascinating revelations. We noted the key takeaways here.