Bill Belichick, the guy who piled up six Super Bowl rings with the Patriots, just weighed in on the NFL’s global takeover. His take? Establishing a European franchise is ‘a question for the NFL and commissioner Goodell,’ which is fair enough. But here’s the kicker: he genuinely believes the travel wouldn’t be much of a hurdle.
Global Ambitions and “Tremendous” Excitement
The 74-year-old coaching legend, now leading the North Carolina Tar Heels, was in Dublin for the American College Classic, kicking off their season against Texas Christian University. He’s seen the league’s push for international games firsthand. Belichick knows the NFL is ‘very intent on building a global brand,’ and we see those fixtures all over Europe throughout the season. The enthusiasm for international games? He calls it ‘tremendous,’ words he doesn’t just throw around. He sees college football expanding globally too, and thinks it’s ‘great for the game.’ It’s a smart play, finding new fans who bleed for American football just like we do here.
West Coast Vibes, European Flights?
Now, about that travel. This is where it gets interesting, especially for us on the West Coast. Belichick went straight for it, comparing a European franchise’s travel to what our teams already face. He said it ‘would certainly be a little bit of an adjustment,’ but then dropped this: ‘it’s not a whole lot different than coming from the east coast to the west coast in the USA.’ Get this, he even name-dropped our city! ‘Time wise it’s a long trip, but going from New York or Boston or Philly to LA or Seattle, it’s about the same.’ The man, who knows logistics, is basically saying a flight from London isn’t much worse than a cross-country haul to the Pacific Northwest. The Jacksonville Jaguars explored moving to London, but ultimately stayed put in Florida and built a new stadium. Belichick’s point is clear: travel isn’t the dealbreaker. That’s a huge takeaway for the NFL’s next moves.
Giving Back to the Game
So, why is Bill, after 23 glittering years in the NFL, so invested? He says it’s ‘important’ for him to give back to the sport that ‘has been good to me and my family.’ He sees how ‘super-popular’ American football is in places like Croatia and Germany, with local teams thriving. He wants to ‘be part of that’ wherever he can, domestically or internationally. And don’t even think about him making an NFL comeback. He’s totally focused on North Carolina, on the kids he recruited. He had a ‘great experience’ in the NFL, but he’s ‘very happy’ where he is and ‘excited about the future’ of the UNC program.
So, while Bill Belichick isn’t coming back to coach in the NFL anytime soon, his insights into the league’s global future are golden. The question of a European franchise might be on Roger Goodell’s desk, but Belichick just made a strong case it’s far from impossible. With international games already a regular thing, get ready, because the NFL’s world domination tour is only just getting started. It’s great for the game, and we’re here for it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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