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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — When Invoice Belichick was in his second season as New England Patriots coach in 2001, Bill Russell — the Boston Celtics nice who gained 11 NBA championships — visited the crew.
Russell’s death on Sunday at age 88 had Belichick reflecting on that go to, and present Patriots gamers reflecting on Russell’s legacy.
“It was nice,” Belichick stated. “Invoice’s an important individual. His feedback on management, teamwork and unselfishness are all excellent.”
Belichick’s shut friendship with soccer nice Jim Brown led to his reference to Russell, setting the stage for the 2001 go to. This week, the Patriots’ two longest-tenured gamers — Matthew Slater and Devin McCourty — shared how Russell impacted their lives.
“It is actually laborious to place into phrases what Invoice Russell meant not solely to this metropolis, however to skilled sports activities, has meant to Black athletes, and simply the progress we have seen on this nation during the last 60 years or so,” Slater stated.
“After I consider Invoice Russell, I do not consider, essentially, the championships. Or the Celtics and the successful, which is a legacy that speaks for itself. I consider what he did for Black athletes. I am a beneficiary of the actions of women and men like Invoice Russell, who’re keen to step out on the limb and advocate for Black athletes and Black Individuals, and push for change, push for equality.”
Slater was referencing, amongst different issues, how Russell boycotted a 1961 exhibition sport to protest discrimination.
For McCourty, who describes himself as a “large basketball fan”, enjoying skilled soccer in New England drew him nearer to Russell.
“Coming right here, and simply studying his story, initially all is ‘Invoice Russell, a champion, and winner.’ However simply his willingness and vulnerability to be very open about what he went by means of and wanting change,” McCourty stated.
“As an athlete that will get to play on this space, I drew plenty of inspiration and motivation from how he considered issues. I believe the street he paved for Black athletes to have the ability to achieve success on this metropolis, and sports activities on the whole; I take into consideration his life … he wasn’t only a nice athlete, however he was a greater individual. All of us right here, we attempt to be like Invoice Russell.”
In an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, Belichick shared extra element on the time Russell visited the Patriots.
“He is an enormous Patriots fan and gave us plenty of help, and he was only a large individual to speak to. I’ve discovered an terrible lot from Invoice Russell. Very lucky to have had a relationship with him,” Belichick stated.
“Clearly he was an important participant and there was plenty of consideration on him, however how he tried to deflect that and improve different gamers, easy methods to assist different gamers play higher, what he may do to assist his teammates.
“Finally his position modified from participant to educate, to some mixture of each, and so he talked rather a lot about how being a pacesetter — and the way being a coach mixed with being a participant — was actually the last word in attempting to assist the crew.
“And when you’ve veteran gamers on each crew, which we had at the moment and nonetheless have now; how these gamers are extra than simply good gamers, they’re mentors, they’re leaders. They’ve to seek out methods to assist different gamers play higher and nonetheless maintain their stage of play. And that is what the nice gamers do. And we have had plenty of them, however Invoice actually put it into an important perspective.”
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