Steve Belichick

Patriot fans have recently learned a little bit about Bill Belichick's father. At last year's Super Bowl he was dosed with Gatorade as he stood next to his son at the end of the game. Also, in David Halberstam's new book, The Education of a Coach, readers learn about how Steve Belichick taught Bill Belichick to be a great coach. Last night, Bill Belichick learned that his father passed away. Belichick waited until after today's game to tell his team and the public. From Reiss's Pieces:

"Personally, I coached this game with a heavy heart. My dad passed away. I found out about it in the middle of last night. Obviously, he had a tremendous influence on my life personally and, particularly in the football aspect, it was great to be able to share the tremendous memories with him and some of our recent successes, as I did when I was a kid when he was successful as a coach of the Naval Academy and that program. Yesterday he did what he enjoyed doing. He went and watched Navy play, watched them win. Some of his former players were there. He had dinner and I spoke with him after the game. And like he normally does Saturday night, sitting around watching college football, and his heart just stopped beating. So I'm sure that's the way he would have wanted it to end. He went peacefully, which is unusual for him."