In 2018, Ian O’Connor wrote “Belichick: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All Time,” a biography about long-time Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
A New York Times bestseller, the book takes readers through Belichick’s life, from getting into football as a kid to winning his five (at the time) Super Bowls with the Patriots.
However, Belichick didn’t make writing this book easy for O’Connor. He discussed his difficulties surrounding this with Andrew Marchand, a sports columnist for The Athletic, on Marchand’s podcast Thursday morning.
O’Connor explains how Belichick tried to prevent people from talking with him, using the many connections he has around the league.
With Belichick being known for not being talkative with the press, O’Connor wasn’t surprised that he made life hard for him.
“I knew Belichick would go out and campaign against my book”, O’Connor told Marchand. “And have people call many, many friends and associates and tell them not to talk to me”.
Whether related or not, O’Connor has had controversy with Belichick in the past. In 2000, when the Patriots signed Belichick, O’Connor wrote that the Patriots were going to regret this signing.
He would later go on to say that he was clearly wrong, and admitted that he believes Belichick is the greatest coach of all time.
This pushback regarding the book only made O’Connor want to write it more though, and motivated him to carry on.
“It made me more determined than ever to write a definitive biography on him without his cooperation”, he continued.
This is the overall message that O’Connor wanted to get across to his audience, especially aspiring writers.
“If it’s in your heart”, O’Connor leads the clip off with, “never, ever let a subject dictate whether or not you do a book.”