No, we’re not kidding. Bill Belichick has joined Instagram. Or “Instaface,” as he calls it.
The longtime head coach of the New England Patriots, who is out of work this season for the first time since he began his coaching career in 1975, has taken to the social media he has long shunned. His handle: @BillBelichick.
Belichick announced his presence with his first post, which referenced his long-running “SnapFace” joke and poked fun at his boredom over unemployment.
Belichick’s Introduction:
“Hi everyone. Surprised to see me here? Well, me too. Over the past few months, and since I’m not on a team, I haven’t had the chance to speak my mind at all times. So now I’m changing that. I tried to join Snapface, but I couldn’t find it. I decided this would be a good place for me to land, so I can talk to you guys and share what I’m doing, because there’s a lot going on. So here I am. Hello, Instaface. See you soon.”
Belichick also confirmed his Instagram outing on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” and a joint post with the NFL’s account. As of Wednesday afternoon, he had more than 100,000 followers.
The coach’s first 12 followers are also interesting. There are some obvious ones (the NFL, Belichick’s foundation, his girlfriend Jordan Hudson). There are Belichick’s media affiliations (Omaha Productions and the two Manning brothers, The 33rd Team, McAfee and the “Coach” podcast), his longtime right-hand man Berj Najarian, and of course Tom Brady.
It appears all hatchets have been buried as both the coach and quarterback embark on their media careers.
Belichick is certainly doing that at full speed, though he seems keen to jump back into the NFL coaching ranks if the right position opens up. He was already set to appear regularly this season on The CW’s “Inside the NFL,” “The Pat McAfee Show” and the Manning cast, so it was a logical step to join social media to broaden his reach.
