It’s never too late to join the social media universe. Just ask legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick.
The eight-time Super Bowl winner, at the age of 72, humorously revealed his newest endeavor on Wednesday’s “Pat McAfee Show”: creating @billbelichick on Instagram.
Belichick Shares Big Reveal, Leading to Reactions
The former New England Patriots head coach, who’s set to be a regular Monday guest on the popular ESPN show, was given the spotlight by the former NFL punter to make his big reveal.
“This one is a big one, I do believe, if I’m hearing what you’re about to say correctly,” McAfee began.
In less than 12 words, Belichick proceeded with his announcement.
“I can’t really believe I’m doing this, but I’m joining Instaface,” Belichick said, smiling, but clearly meaning to say he joined Instagram.
Claps began to be heard inside the studio, with McAfee saying, “Welcome to social media, Bill. This is what we’re talking about!”
You have an announcement to make Coach..
"I can't believe I'm doing this but I've joined Instaface" 😂😂 ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/VZZJbskdyF
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 4, 2024
Sure enough, Belichick has indeed confirmed he’s entered the IG world with this reveal video that begins with: “Surprised to see me here? Well, I am, too.”
Bill Belichick's official Instagram reveal video: pic.twitter.com/Cj18J4M0Sg
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) September 4, 2024
Unfortunately for Belichick, he gave IG another name — “SnapFace.” But clearly, he’s learning the nuances of social media in his downtime.
Why Isn’t Bill Belichick Coaching this Season?
While Belichick didn’t get a head coaching gig during this offseason’s hiring cycle, we know that he was offered a job by at least one NFL team.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed during the offseason that he contacted Belichick and told him he could pick any role he wanted on the 49ers’ coaching staff, which would’ve placed Belichick with the defending NFC champions. However, he politely declined.
He was also reportedly interested in the Atlanta Falcons opening, but that was before the HC gig went to Raheem Morris. Falcons owner Arthur Blank shared on the NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live what went into the decision to pass on Belichick.
“Been a coach 49 years in the NFL. Bill, during all of our discussions with him, it was never about power, control, needing people to work for him, etc. He was interested in coaching. He definitely wanted a collaborative relationship with personnel, scouting. He had done his reference checking on our department, had committed to me that he’d be happy to work with our people. In fact, did it in writing through a text message he sent to me at one point,” Blank began.
Blank continued by sharing that “a variety of reasons” led to Atlanta looking elsewhere.
“Bill was really focused and is focused on being a great head coach, which is clearly what he has been. We looked at all the candidates that we interviewed, all the time together, and we felt for a variety of reasons that the best choice for us at this point in our lives, the life of the franchise going forward, is Raheem Morris,” Blank said.
Belichick’s Plans for the 2024 NFL Season
Training camp passed without Belichick roaming any NFL sideline, but he’s still going to be active around the league.
During the 2024 NFL Draft, he was a correspondent for “The Pat McAfee Show’s NFL Draft Spectacular” on ESPN, which earned rave reviews.
He also got to show a different side of himself during Netflix’s Roast of Tom Brady, cracking jokes about Rob Gronkowski and his other former players. Belichick was one of the roasters who stole the show on a night that featured comedians Kevin Hart and Nikki Glaser, plus longtime Pats rival Peyton Manning.
Once the NFL regular season starts, Belichick will have several broadcasting gigs. He has agreed to a recurring role on ESPN’s “ManningCast” alongside Peyton and Eli Manning, so he’ll provide insight during Monday Night Football. Belichick is also going to break down football film with his partnership with Underdog Fantasy.
“This show is going to give fans a comprehensive look at the behind-the-scenes of the National Football League: what it’s like to coach, how to prepare, how to team build, exactly the way I would do it if I was coaching a team,” Belichick said in a statement. “I partnered with Underdog because it’s a sports company run by sports people, and they want sports to connect to the fans, and that’s what I want to do.”
He’s also got a book deal lined up that will pay him “well into seven figures,” according to The Athletic.
Turns out Belichick has already grown increasingly popular on Instagram. More than 102,000 IG users have hit the “follow” button for Belichick’s account, and he’s already made three posts.
Belichick joining the Instagram universe has left many surprised. He’s misidentified social media websites before, even calling Facebook “Yearbook.”
Still, McAfee believes this is a great move for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to build his new brand.
“It has a hub for everything he’s doing this fall. People are going to love you on the internet. Big name, big brain!” McAfee said.
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