Bill Belichick Was Given Incredible Nickname Due to His First Depressing NFL Role

The former Patriots coach called informing players of roster cuts the "worst part of the job."

Jan 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick holds a press conference at Gillette Stadium to announce his exit from the team. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL preseason coming to a close and teams across the league making final roster cuts, there is plenty of bad news being spread to players both new and old across football.

If you ask former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick what the hardest part of being a head coach is, there's no doubt in his mind that it's making final roster cuts.

"That's the worst part of the job as a head coach in the National Football League. That's 100% the worst part of the job," Belichick said of roster cuts on Monday's Pat McAfee Show. "... You have players that come in, and they have dreams. They do everything you ask them to do and ultimately 90 players come to camp. There are 53 on the roster and you're firing 37 people," he added.

Belichick said that he was in charge of informing players of roster cuts early in his career as an assistant in Baltimore, and earned himself an incredible nickname among the players in the process.

"My first year in the league in Baltimore, I was the guy. I was the jerk. I was 'Bad News Billy.' If they saw me coming anywhere around ... nobody wanted to see me because if I was coming to get them, it was bad news. It was always bad news," Belichick added.

"Cutting players is 100% the worst part of being a Head Coach..

You're letting players go that have given you everything that they got..

My first year in the league at Baltimore I was Bad News Billy" ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/JcwK8tcQh0

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 26, 2024

Belichick made his fair share of surprising roster cuts throughout his time in New England, from Ty Law to Lawyer Milloy and Corey Dillon. It never got easier for Belichick throughout his Hall of Fame career.