Fans react to news of Patriots parting ways with Bill Belichick

WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Fans in western Massachusetts reacted Thursday to the news that the New England Patriots and longtime head coach Bill Belichick parted ways.

“(It’s) very sad. He’s been great forever. You hate to see him go,” said Carol Rigali of Holyoke.

It is truly the end of an era for the Patriots and their loyal fanbase. After 24 seasons as head coach, Belichick and the team have agreed to part ways and fans like Rigali had nothing but positive things to say about the future Hall of Famer.

“Just the greatest coach of all time, kind of like the G.O.A.T. of coaches. Like Bill, Brady’s the G.O.A.T.,” Rigali added.

VIDEO : Belichick, Kraft discuss decision to part ways

Despite the Patriots having a rough past couple of seasons, Belichick is still leaving Foxborough with six Super Bowl wins and 17 AFC East division titles in a 19-year span. One longtime pats fan, Steve Giebutowski of Monson, told Western Mass News that he will miss Belichick greatly.

“He brought the Patriots to relevance. Prior to him, they were not fun to watch. The Tony Eason era was not great. (Bill) just brought them to the forefront and, you know, you’re doing well when the rest of the league can’t stand seeing you anymore,” Giebutowski said.

Not everyone we spoke to, though, was a Patriots fan. Chicopee’s Jerry Saintilus told us he has respect for the longtime head coach, even though he roots for the Baltimore Ravens. Saintilus reflected on that rivalry during this era as a new one now begins.

“It’s disappointing, given the actual rivalry. There’s not many of those in the NFL that kind of live up to that, so I think that defensive mindset constantly going against each other was always something great to see,” Saintilus added.

What is Belichick’s legacy following this departure? According to Wilbraham’s Sam Roberts, a sports talk radio host on WLAS-FM in Boston, Belichick will not be known for his final two seasons.

“His legacy is going to be defined by his dominance over the last two decades: winning the AFC East over 20 times, doing it year-after-year, building up a defense. He was known as a defensive maestro, if you will,” Robert said.

Knowing Belichick was also the team’s general manager, Roberts acknowledged that the patriots have a lot of work to do.

“You’re going to have to find someone soon and someone who has the ability to takeover that role and thrive, especially going into an offseason where you have a top three pick, not to mention the Patriots are ranking top five in salary cap projections for this upcoming offseason,” Roberts added.

For now, fans have different ideas for what is ahead for both the Patriots and their now former head coach.

“I think given his long tenure, this is probably it,” Saintilus said.

“There doesn’t appear that there is a whole lot of a foundation there to build from, so whoever fills that slot next pretty much has a clean slate, I think, to do whatever they want to do. It’s truly the beginning of a new era,” Giebutowski noted.

While it is unclear what Belichick will do next, as well as who the team’s next head coach will be, one thing is for certain: all of the Patriots’ loyal fans are grateful for all of the success he brought to New England.