No, we are not kidding. Bill Belichick has joined Instagram. Or “Instaface,” as he calls it.
The longtime head coach of the New England Patriots, out of a job this season for the first time since his coaching career began in 1975, has joined the social media space he long eschewed. His handle: @BillBelichick.
Belichick announced his presence with his first post, referencing his long-running “SnapFace” joke and poking fun at his boredom in unemployment.
Belichick’s introduction:
“Hello, everyone. Surprised to see me here? Well, I am, too. Over the past few months, and not being with a team, I haven’t had the opportunity to express my thoughts at a moment’s notice. So now I’m changing that. I tried to join Snapface, but I couldn’t find it. I decided this was a good place for me to land, so I can talk to you and share what I’m up to, because there’s a lot going on. So here I am. Hello, Instaface. See you soon.”
Belichick confirmed his Instagram foray on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” and in a joint post with the NFL’s account. As of Wednesday afternoon, he has more than 100,000 followers.
The coach’s first 12 follows are also interesting. There are some obvious ones (the NFL, Belichick’s foundation, 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. Any hatchet appears to have been buried as both coach and quarterback begin their media careers.
Belichick is certainly doing that at full speed, despite seeming very interested in jumping back to the NFL coaching ranks should the right post open up. He is said to be a regular on The CW’s “Inside the NFL,” “The Pat McAfee Show” and the Manningcast this season, so joining social media was a natural step to grow his reach.
