Bill Belichick ‘makes secret return to Patriots’ to celebrate Super Bowl anniversary with Tom Brady… despite ‘bad blood’ with billionaire owner

Bill Belichick reportedly made a secret return to Foxborough on Saturday night for an anniversary dinner to celebrate the Patriots’ victory at Super Bowl LI.

Belichick, one of the most decorated coaches in NFL history, spent 24 seasons at the Patriots, winning six Super Bowl crowns before leaving in January 2024.

No championship was more dramatic than the Patriots’ win over the Atlanta Falcons at the end of the 2016 season, when Tom Brady dragged the Patriots back from 28-3 down in a historic comeback.

But following Belichick’s exit from New England, reports emerged that there was ‘bad blood’ between the legendary coach and the Patriots’ billionaire owner, Robert Kraft.

Belichick, who later joined the University of North Carolina, fueled those rumors when he made no mention of Kraft in his new book, The Art of Winning, and banned Patriots scouts from UNC’s facility. 

‘It’s clear I’m not welcome there at their facility. So they’re not welcome at ours,’ said the 74-year-old, whose secret split from girlfriend Jordon Hudson, 25, was recently revealed.

This week, though, the heroes of that 2016 Patriots team returned to New England. Rob Gronkowski was inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame, while Brady was given a hero’s welcome back to Gillette Stadium.

According to reports, Belichick drove to Foxborough following UNC’s win over UConn on Saturday. He then joined his former players at Davio’s Steakhouse at Patriots Place.

Kraft, meanwhile, missed the dinner as he continues to recover from back surgery.

Belichick was absent when New England recently celebrated the 25-year anniversary of the team’s first Super Bowl win.