New England Patriots book goes inside secretive and controversial franchise and

In the end, Tom Brady just wanted to say goodbye — in person — to his longtime coach. But according to a new book to be published next month, Bill Belichick said he wasn’t available and insisted the two New England Patriots legends talk on the phone.

Even though Belichick told Brady that he was “the best player the league had ever seen,” Brady told a friend the fact it came over the phone was “telling” about how badly the duo’s relationship had deteriorated over the of years. The book, “It’s Better to Be Feared,” by ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham, will be published Oct. 12 by Liveright Publishing. It’s based on hundreds of interviews with a range of sources, including previously confidential emails, texts, game plans, scouting reports, and internal New England studies — including one in which Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods and Brady were interviewed for personality traits that fueled their greatness.

The book reveals the inner workings of the secretive and controversial Patriots franchise that dominated the NFL from 2001 to 2019 and illuminates the power dynamics between the driven, proud trio of team owner Robert Kraft, Belichick and Tom Brady. It also explores how some of the league’s biggest names inside and outside of the organization dealt with the juggernaut. The success brought out the football genius and flaws of Brady, Belichick and Kraft — and others throughout the league, Wickersham writes.

Wickersham writes that Brady ultimately left New England not only because both Belichick and Kraft refused to commit to him until his stated goal of playing until age 45 — it was believed that Belichick thought Brady was close to the end — but because he wanted to be at an organization that welcomed his input rather than ignored it, something he ultimately found in Tampa Bay.

“Tom Brady had been curious if there was another way of winning, and while nobody was arguing that Bruce Arians was a better coach than Bill Belichick, or even close, the seamlessness of Brady’s proficiency and performance was making his former coach’s methodologies look antiquated, even silly,” the book says. “It was better to be feared — but was it necessary?”

As examples of what the dynasty wrought, Wickersham writes that Kraft once called Belichick the “biggest f—-ng a–hole in my life.” Bill O’Brien told a colleague he tried to get fired as coach of the Houston Texans because he thought he might be able to succeed Belichick, the book says. Belichick and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had a much closer relationship than previously known and once met secretly in a New England airplane hangar to discuss rule changes — even as aides unsuccessfully pleaded with Goodell to drop the Deflategate inquiry, worried about the long-term damage to the league brand.

New England’s historic run produced six Super Bowls in 19 years but also multiple controversies — Spygate and Deflategate among them.

The book dives deeply into Kraft and his influence on the team and league, portraying him as an idealistic and patient leader and loyal friend to the league but also carrying a ruthless streak often most attributed to his head coach. In 2018, with the Pats’ success and…