Bill Belichick may or may not have said being a coach is better than being a plumber.
At his Monday press conference to accept his Super Bowl MVP award, Julian Edelman told a story about his coach’s work ethic rubbing off on the players.
“I remember going in and seeing coach -- I don’t know if he remembers this -- but I was a rookie and it was like 11 o’clock at night,” Edelman said. “By the grace of God, we were walking out at the same time. I probably had said three words to him at the time before that. I was on the team for like six months. I just looked at him, because I saw him on the treadmill, watching film at 10 o’clock at night. I go, ‘Coach, you sure like football, huh?’ He goes, ‘It beats being a plumber. See you tomorrow.’
“When you’re seeing that, at the time, he was a three-time Super Bowl winning coach, head coach, and two-time winning assistant coach, you guys do that, I mean it’s going to rub off. If it doesn’t, you’re probably not going to be there.”
Belichick, perhaps afraid of alienating plumbers in New England, disputed he ever disparaged another profession.
“First of all, Julian misquoted me,” Belichick said. “I mean, I have a ton of respect for plumbers. I can’t really turn the water on myself. Those people do a great job. I think I said it beats working.”
Even plumbers likely would agree coaching beats plumbing, especially when it comes with Lombardi Trophies.
