Tom Brady, the future Hall of Fame quarterback for the New England Patriots, referred to his former coach Bill Belichick as “the best coach in the history of the NFL” just hours after team owner Robert Kraft revealed the franchise was splitting ways with him.

“I’ll always be a Patriot,” Belichick says in his parting speech, although he and Kraft both make future references.

Brady posted on social media, saying, “I’m extremely grateful to have played for the best coach in the history of the NFL.” “He was an excellent leader for the team and every player under his tutelage.”

After 24 seasons, 17 division crowns, and six Super Bowl victories, Kraft and Belichick announced their “mutually agreed” separation during a joint news conference at Gillette Stadium on Thursday afternoon.

For the majority of Belichick’s time in Foxboro, Brady was the quarterback for New England’s offense, which helped the team win Super Bowls in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, and 2019.

Read the entire press conference transcript to learn about Belichick and Kraft’s departure.

“Over a lengthy period of time, we achieved some incredible things, many of which will be challenging to duplicate. In the ultimate team sport, he fought tirelessly every day to help us reach our ultimate goal,” Brady stated. Even though we were successful, I believe that some of the most important lessons I ever learned came from the hardest challenges we overcame. He established the organization’s motto: “We must always persevere in the face of difficulty and do what is within our power, which is to go out and perform our duties.”

Brady acknowledged that Belichick helped him become into the surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer he eventually became at the end of his career.

“Coach Belichick, without you, I could never have been the player I am now. I will always be appreciative. Brady wrote, “And I hope you succeed in whatever you decide to do next.”