Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff Speculates Why Atlanta Didn't Hire Bill Belichick

The former executive worked with the Falcons for 13 years.
Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff Speculates Why Atlanta Didn't Hire Bill Belichick
Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff Speculates Why Atlanta Didn't Hire Bill Belichick /
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Bill Belichick was not hired as a head coach after parting ways with the New England Patriots, but he did interview with the Atlanta Falcons. At one point it seemed like Atlanta was destined to hire Belichick, but the Falcons ended up going with Raheem Morris for the position instead.

The Falcons reportedly were concerned that Belichick would be a “short-term play,” but Atlanta’s former general manager has a different theory. Thomas Dimitroff appeared on “Felger and Mazz” for 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, and he said he thinks owner Arthur Blank may have been talked out of hiring Belichick.

“Maybe there was a group inside the building who kept pushing back to Arthur,” Dimitroff said, via Boston.com. “Let’s call it the way it is. Any organization wants to keep their world, right? Presidents want to keep their world.”

Former Falcons general managers Thomas Dimitroff speaks with the media.
Former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff believes Arthur Blank was talked out of hiring Bill Belichick :: Kirby Lee/USA Today sports

Dimitroff spent 13 years in Atlanta, so he knows the organization quite well. The veteran executive, who also previously worked with Belichick in his career, said he doesn’t think Belichick would have worked well with Falcons CEO Rich McKay.

“Rich is very talented. He knows a lot. The fact that he and Bill would have to work together—or not work together—wasn’t going to happen,” Dimitroff said. “And Arthur had made a bold statement saying, ‘That was not an issue.’”

McKay has worked for the Falcons since 2003, first as general manager, then as president and CEO when the team hired Dimitroff. However, Blank announced this offseason that McKay will no longer be a part of day-to-day football operations.

Had the Falcons hired Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion might’ve required more power within the organization than a typical head coach, which would’ve been bad news for McKay.


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