Getty Image / Kent Nishimura
When you think of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, you think of rings, you think of winning, and you think of a “bland” public image. Belichick has had an uncanny persistence to cover up any sign of human-like personality throughout his coaching tenure in New England.
However, those who know him close often share stories of a man with a dry sense of humor who lets his guard down in the right situations, just never with media
The Pro-Bowl airs tonight, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m ET from Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas. The version airing tonight isn’t the same type of Pro-Bowl of previous years that involved an actual football game of the best players in the league going against each other in light-to-medium level of intensity. These are now “Pro-Bowl Games” featuring mini-games such as “Best Catch”, “Kick-Tac-Toe” and “Move The Chains” but not actual football.
Belichick Hoped To Bring Pamela Anderson To The Pro-Bowl By Inviting A Random Player Dating Her
Back when Bill Belichick coached the Pro-Bowl, they actually played a football game. Peyton Manning recently shared some amazing Belichick Pro-Bowl stories with Bill Simmons during a ManningCast broadcast, including one involving famous ex-playboy model Pamela Anderson.
Pamela Anderson-Bill Belichick story:
Bill selected Long-Snapper David Binn to the Pro-Bowl because he was dating Pamela Anderson at the time and he thought players would like to see Pam in the pool in Hawaii. She didn't come.
Bill: "Remind me why the f**k I invited you then?" pic.twitter.com/FRFAfAVvYC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 13, 2022
In 2007, following the 2006 regular season, Bill Belichick coached the Pro Bowl. That year, Chargers long-snapper David Binn was selected to his first Pro-Bowl. It was the only Pro-Bowl he’d make in his 17-year career, and the reason he made it was hilarious.
“Another time, [Belichick] picked David Binn, who was a long-snapper, because he was dating Pamela Anderson, and Bill thought the players would like seeing Pamela at the pool in Hawaii,” Peyton Manning shared.
However, the plan was unsuccessful when the former Baywatch actress didn’t show up to Hawaii.
Binn himself confirmed the story as well, adding that Bill Belichick bluntly told him: “Remind me why the f**k I invited you then?”
Bill Belichick Had The Last Laugh Against His Old Boss In The 1999 Pro-Bowl
The second story that Peyton Manning shared about Bill Belichick’s unusual Pro Bowl choices was about an incident from 1999. When Belichick was the Defensive Coordinator of the New York Jets, he used his coaches pick to add then Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Peter Boulware to the roster.
Peyton Manning says Bill Belichick hated Art Modell so much that he added @pboulware to the Pro Bowl roster just to force Modell to pay Boulware's $1 million Pro Bowl bonus. pic.twitter.com/4QjQvtH8LP
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 13, 2022
Quick history here, Peter Boulware played for the Ravens while they were owned by Art Modell. Before the Ravens moved to Baltimore, they were located in Cleveland and were part of the first incarnation of the Browns, before the team was re-created back in Cleveland in 1999. Modell was Bill Belichick’s boss during Bill’s first five seasons as a head coach in the NFL.
Modell fired Belichick after Bill went 36-44 in the regular season and 1-1 in the playoffs during his tenure with the team. Not only did Modell fire Belichick due to his losing record, but the Ravens owner reportedly later told New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft that hiring Belichick would be a “huge mistake”. Belichick isn’t the type to forget something like that.
The story: “I played for Belichick one time in a Pro Bowl, and they were telling stories about times that he was the head coach,” Manning explaiend. “One time, he picked Peter Boulware because he knew that Art Modell would have to pay Boulware a million-dollar bonus if Boulware made the Pro Bowl. Belichick hated Modell.”
Bill Belichick, as usual, got the last laugh.