Bill Belichick barely gave Bill O’Brien a handshake after the New England Patriots’ 28-22 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night, leading to some questions about their relationship.
NBC showed O’Brien seeking out Belichick, who gave a weak handshake before quickly moving on and hardly giving any eye contact.
Is Bill O’Brien out of the circle? pic.twitter.com/mkwK59Of0P
— Will D. (@WAD1980) December 2, 2019
This stood out because coaches typically give more respect to one another. Not only that, but O’Brien coached under Belichick from 2007-2011.
So where did things go wrong?
There is some speculation that Belichick is now holding ill will towards O’Brien over the Texans trying to poach Nick Caserio in June. The Patriots filed a tampering charge against the Texans for trying to poach the executive, and Houston dropped its pursuit. New England did not appreciate Houston trying to take one of their guys, which could explain Belichick’s behavior.
