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Even at age 71, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is still on the sidelines on Sunday and isn’t not considering retirement anytime soon.
Turns out his sticking around to surpass the late Don Shula’s all-time wins record over a longstanding feud stemming from comments made during the Spygate scandal.
According to Christopher Price of the Boston Globe, Belichick’s motivation to eclipse Shula’s record is a response to Shula’s critical remarks during the Spygate controversy in 2007.
Speaking on the DolphinsTalk.com podcast, hosted by Mike Oliva, Price shared Belichick’s perspective: “If I can’t whip you off the books with another perfect season, I’m going to do the next best thing—I’m going to take your all-time wins record.”
On the https://t.co/jTLjtUE3tr Podcast, Mike is joined by @cpriceglobe of the @BostonGlobe and the @BleavNetwork. Chris talks about why Belichick wants to pass Shula's Win Record, and the answer may surprise you. For the FULL SHOW, CLICK HERE https://t.co/JYlUCWXrUM pic.twitter.com/cAV1gTHjrp
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) September 15, 2023
The feud between the two legendary coaches traces back to 2007 when Shula commented on the Spygate scandal, stating, “The Spygate thing has diminished what they’ve accomplished; you would hate to have that attached to your accomplishments. They’ve got it.”
Price went on to explain that Belichick grew up around Shula and he meant everything to him. Belichick was genuinely hurt when Shula made his comments.
Currently, Bill Belichick boasts a total of 329 wins, including both regular season and playoff victories (298 in the regular season). Compared to, Don Shula who has 347 wins, including the playoffs (328 in the regular season).