Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft were all smiles during a harmonious gathering in Sunday’s live roast of Tom Brady.
At host Kevin Hart’s bequest, the New England Patriots owner took a shot with the head coach he fired after the 2023 season. Despite the heartfelt moment, Julian Edelman and Drew Bledsoe recalled an uncomfortable atmosphere behind the scenes.
During Edelman’s Games with Names podcast, the former Patriots wide receiver said Belichick was “having fun” and sharing stories with former players.
“Belichick’s kind of holding court,” Bledsoe recalled. “As he’s in the middle of the story, Kraft walks in, and so you guys all go over to say hi to Kraft.”
“The tension in that room, though, could cut f—ing glass,” Edelman said.
Edelman said he tried to warn Belichick when Kraft arrived, but his former coach didn’t notice. The ex-wide receiver felt “so awkward.”
“[Kraft] came in, and I was like, ‘Oh s—, there’s gonna be some fireworks,'” Edelman said. “I just walked away. I didn’t want to get in there.”
Bledsoe said nobody knew Kraft would be at the roast until the day before. He thinks they intentionally kept his involvement under wraps so he wouldn’t be a subject for jokes.
The quarterback Brady replaced agreed that the tension was “very real.” Bledsoe also noted that Belichick and Kraft spoke for “10 minutes, at least.”
During his set, Kraft joked that there are always some people you’re “desperately trying to avoid” at any reunion. He later called Belichick “the greatest coach in the history of the game” when they toasted together on stage.