New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for his on-field accomplishments. However, an off-the-field gesture from years ago is resurfacing in the best way possible.
Belichick was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1991-1995 and helped out Orlando Brown Sr. with a suit jacket in his rookie year. The offensive tackle played in 129 games, starting 119 of them. He went on to have a 13-year career in the NFL. Brown retired after the 2005 season with the Baltimore Ravens.
Before his decorated career, Brown was a rookie who had to get acclimated to NFL life. Belichick required players to travel in a jacket and tie or else they would not be able to get on the plane. Brown did not have the money for either, and that’s when Belichick lent a hand.
‘So Orlando came up to me and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t have any money. I can’t afford to buy a suit. And plus, there’s no suit that fits me!’ So I said, ‘Okay, let me work on this.’ So, I talked to my good friend at Cuffs in Cleveland, and I said, ‘Look, Orlando is going to come down there. You don’t have anything that fits him, but you’re a really good tailor. Figure it out,’” Belichick said.
Belichick would remain as head coach of the Browns until the 1995 season. The rest for the head coach is history, much like Brown’s decorated career. If anything, this story shows that Belichick is not afraid to help his players when they need it most.
