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Retired NFL cornerback Darrelle Revis spent one season with the New England Patriots, where he helped lift the franchise to a Super Bowl.
Darrelle Revis shares his take on the Patriots' locker room
Revis’ short stint with the Patriots was highly successful, but the culture the franchise has established under head coach Bill Belichick isn’t one that he holds any appreciation towards. During a recent interview on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast, the future Hall of Famer voiced that he didn’t enjoy his time in New England.
“You know, I’m happy for the grind and the hustle of winning Super Bowl 49,” Revis said via Boston.com. “But you know waking up every day and walking into the facility and having to deal with the tension, you see why they’ve been to 10 Super Bowls. You see the hustle and the grind of it, but at the end of the day, there’s other philosophies to win and it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Revis added that the work environment within the organization was tense while airing that nobody in the locker room enjoyed the atmosphere.
“Nobody likes it in the locker room,” Revis said. “Just being honest, nobody likes it.”
Over the years, the Patriots have garnered a strong reputation for their no-nonsense approach that didn’t exactly brush everyone the right way. It’s the culture that helped push the franchise to sustained success but didn’t exactly make the franchise the go-to destination for players in free agency.
The proof has been in the pudding for the “Patriots Way,” resulting in 17 division titles and six Super Bowls. However, all the players fall into line under Belichick’s helm, with no exception to the strictly established approach. However, it eventually led to a rough ending with Tom Brady departing the franchise after two decades.
His decision to leave came about due to feeling like Belichick didn’t truly value his impact while doubting his ability to play at a high level well into his 40s. Brady is accomplishing just that with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leading them to their first Super Bowl win in nearly two decades.
The Buccaneers are well on pace to vie for a second straight championship behind their strong start to the 2021 season. Brady is a strong standout example, but other players such as Rob Gronkowski have touched upon the restrictive approach the franchise has adopted through its players.
With the upcoming book from Seth Wickersham released on Tuesday, expect many more stories to come to light in the coming days and weeks.
