This is all becoming quite petty and frustrating. And Tom, as bright as he seems, comes across as really stupid here.
Firstly, I do not think Tom should have to feel appreciated at work. If Belichick is ragging on him behind the scenes, I can understand some frustration in that regard. But it seems to me that Belichick will publicly critique certain players, often the best on the team, in order to create a culture that he deems most likely to bring success to the team.
Belichick is also on the record as raving about Tom's mental and physical toughness, preparation, and leadership. He has said on more than one occasion that there is no quarterback he'd rather have than Tom Brady, and if you believe the report re: Lynch asking if Belichick would trade Brady, to which Belichick responded (and I'm paraphrasing): 'trade the best quarterback in the history of the NFL? Are you kidding me?', then Belichick certainly thinks extremely highly of Tom and most definitely appreciates him.
If this is regarding Guerrero, then I suppose I understand Tom's frustration. It seems to me that Guerrero allows him to get into the best possible shape to perform his job at the highest level, which directly impacts the Patriots' success. If Guerrero gives Tom the best chance to succeed, and Tom performing at a high level gives the Patriots the best chance to win, then I think Belichick should give some ground in this regard. However, I do understand the nuances and intricacies of the matter and the potential conflict with the Patriots in-house training staff, and how that's a slippery slope to be working on if you're Belichick.
But again, this is all ridiculous. Regardless of whether Tom's seeming frustration is legitimate or not, speaking about it publicly and throwing more fuel on the fire is flat-out dumb, especially after Gronk came out and put out his own personal fire. The draft was successful, the murmurs were dying down following Gronk's aforementioned statement, and there seemed to be some positive energy and momentum around the coming season for the first time in awhile, and then Tom does this.
Maybe he was just trolling -- that's the only context in which this is even remotely okay. Otherwise it's unnecessary, petty, and extremely poorly calculated.
