http://www.jetsinsider.net/forums/showthread.php?t=154144&page=2
Check out the post by SAR I about the history of BB's departure from the Jets on page 2 of the thread. Does that jive with everyone else's memories of this incident? Appears to be a well written and truthful recount of the facts of BB's resignation from the Jets.
I read the post but its a little incomplete. It doesn't address why Belichick was pissed at Parcells for a long time.
Parcells didn't actually retire until a few days after Kraft called him requesting permission to speak to Belichick about the Patriots opening.
Kraft and Belichick had bonded during Belichick's stay there during the '96 Super Bowl year. After competing against the Parcells/Belichick Jets, Kraft (and many Patriots' players and fans) became convinced that Belichick was the key man to Parcells' success.
Parcells may have stayed HC of the Jets for another year if doing so wouldn't have cost him losing Belichick to the Patriots.
Instead of doing what was right by Belichick, Parcells acted only in his own self-interest. He didn't want Belichick to go to Kraft and the Patriots. By resigning he essentially "Forced" the Jets job on Belichick. Belichick was pissed b/c he felt he deserved the opportunity to make his own decision. He knew that this might be his last opportunity to land a head coaching job and he wanted to make sure he took the job that gave him the best chance to succeed in.
The Jets situation was filled with question marks. Who was going to be the owner? What kind of owner would he be? What would Parcells involvement be? Would Belichick be allowed final say on anything?
New York would have been a no-win situation for Belichick. Every success he experienced there would have been attributed to Parcells, due to the relationship that existed between Parcells and the media in New York. The only thing that would ever be credited to Belichick is if the team failed.
Kraft, meanwhile, was someone Belichick felt would be a good fit for him. The two of them bonded back in '96 and shared many of the same ideas about how an organization must be run. And then, of course, there is the fact that Kraft was willing to give Belichick full control and final say over everything.
Out of the two situations, it was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the New York media never let the New York fanbase know the facts of the situation. They were too busy painting Belichick as a villain. That's what you get when you allow your news sources to repeatedly use sensationalism to sell papers and built ratings.