Belichick's frustration with Brady's guru reaches new level

The Patriot Way will be without a core part of the TB12 method for the remainder of the season.

Head coach Bill Belichick reportedly revoked the credentials and on-field clearance to Tom Brady’s longtime associate, Alex Guerrero, weeks ago, following what appeared to be a duration of unlimited access, according to a report from the Boston Globe.

Guerrero, 52, best known as Brady’s right-hand man both personally and professionally, had been allowed to treat some players on New England’s roster via his alternative methods. He regularly appeared on the sidelines and had been granted permission to travel with the team. Belichick has since reduced Guerrero’s presence within the organization, banning him from chartered jets and limiting the treatment of players in his office near the locker room to the 40-year-old quarterback alone, per Patriots insiders.

Brady declined to comment on potential tension between Belichick and Guerrero Monday during a radio appearance on WEEI.

“I don’t have any comment on that other than to say Alex, it’s been well-documented, has been a huge part of what I do and I’m so fortunate to have him not only as a friend, but with everything that we’ve been able to do together,” said Brady. “Alex has been a huge, huge reason why I’m still playing.”

While Belichick and Guerrero have not publicly stated the reasoning behind the decision, Patriots owner Robert Kraft previously stated that having Brady’s confidant on the inside “doesn’t come without its challenges.” His son, Jonathan Kraft, said Sunday he wasn’t aware of a rift between Guerrero and New England staffers.

“I haven’t heard anything from either the coaching staff or Alex about either being upset with each other,” the younger Kraft said, per the Boston Herald. “I’ve seen Alex in the building, and he always seems like he’s in a really good mood. Alex is a great guy and neither one has said anything to me about what I read in the media.”

Belichick previously denounced tension between himself and Guerrero following a report from ESPN this fall.

“I mean, otherwise we’re just talking about a lot of fake news here, just putting out a lot of things that are unattributable as usual. I’d say we get a lot of that,” Belichick said, later adding Guerrero was not on the Patriots’ staff.

“Our staff, our training staff, our nutrition staff, our equipment staff, you know, those are all contained within the Patriots. Alex and his staff at TB12 and Tom’s role in TB12, that’s kind of a separate business.”

It’s alleged Guerrero’s influence drew ire from New England’s own medical and training staffs regarding his controversial treatment methods. And though he’s been a member of Brady’s inner circle since 2008, as the Super Bowl champ recovered from a torn ACL, his background is littered with blemishes.

After earning a master’s degree in traditional Chinese medicine from the now defunct Samra University of Oriental Medicine in Los Angeles, Guerrero was sanctioned by the feds for attempting to pass himself off as a doctor. He was also sued by the government in June 2004 after falsely promoting a nutritional product with the potential to cure a terminal illness.

Despite public missteps, Brady has remained in Guerrero’s corner.

“I have tremendous belief in Alex and what he’s accomplished with me,” Brady said in a 2015 interview with WEEI. “In the 10 or 11 years we’ve been working together, he’s never been wrong.”

In addition to being Brady’s business partner, Guerrero is also the godfather to the quarterback’s son, Ben.

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