Bill Parcells has a new book called “Parcells” being released on Oct. 28, and one of the chapters discusses his friction with Bill Belichick.
Belichick coached under Parcells with the Giants, Patriots and Jets. Belichick was set to become Parcells’ hand-picked successor with the Jets, but at the press conference to announce the hiring of Belichick, the understudy declared he was resigning to take the head coaching job with the Patriots. Belichick, of course, has been the Patriots’ head coach ever since and enjoyed tremendous success, so obviously he made the right call.
While the beef between Parcells and Belichick over the latter’s last-second betrayal of his mentor is well known, what is lesser known is that Parcells also had a beef with Charlie Weis.
According to an excerpt of the book shared by the New York Daily News, Weis, then the offensive coordinator with the Jets, lobbied for the head coaching job vacated by Belichick. Parcells did not want to give it to him for a specific reason.
The Daily News shares the excerpt:
In the legal aftermath of the contractual break, Jets offensive coordinator Charlie Weis lobbied hard for Belichick’s job, the book says. “I can do this job, I’m your guy,” Weis told Parcells. However, Weis then testified on Belichick’s behalf during the grievance hearing over whether Belichick could be interviewed for other jobs, basically betraying Parcells, who would ban Weis from the premises the day after the testimony.
Parcells recalls telling Weis to get his s— and “leave the building” after the testimony.
Weis wound up joining Belichick in New England where he was the team’s offensive coordinator from 2000-2004 before becoming the Notre Dame head coach. Parcells now says things are fine between them.
“I’ve told many coaches that friendship and loyalty is going to be more important than ambition. Some guys don’t realize that until after they’re done,” Parcells says in the book, according to the Daily News. “I don’t bear animosity toward Charlie. I can say that with a straight face because I know what he is. His actions back then don’t bother me anymore.”
It’s good to hear that the friction seems to have dissipated for Parcells, but it’s easy to see why he would be upset. Parcells got Weis into the NFL after Charlie only had one season of high school head coaching experience. True story: Weis was selling long-distance phone service in South Carolina when Parcells called to offer him an interview with the Giants. Parcells gave him his big break.
