Tom Curran on Adam Jones Show: Bill Belichick Sends Players to Alex Guerrero, Trainer in ‘Pseudo-Exile’ from Gillette
Not only does Bill Belichick not totally reject the work of Tom Brady’s personal trainer Alex Guerrero, the Patriots head coach has often personally sent his players to the TB12 Center for treatment.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran, who in 2014 worked with Guerrero for a hip problem at TB12, has been at the forefront of reporting on Brady’s trainer. Guerrero has long been the subject of much scrutiny and criticism as it relates to his practices, checkered past, and status within the Patriots organization.
Curran called in to the Adam Jones Show on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Monday night, in response to comments from Jones and Marshall Hook about a recent spat between him and the Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy. Curran disagreed with Jones’ notion that his “beat reporter mentality” was the source of indignation toward Shaughnessy. The latter recently accused Curran of being ethically compromised as a reporter, due to his being both a client of Guerrero and business partner in a book deal with Julian Edelman, who is facing a four-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s PED policy. Curran reported last week that two sources told him Edelman’s positive test came from nothing that Guerrero provided him.
So naturally, when Curran called in, the conversation quickly turned to Guerrero and his relationship with Bill Belichick and the Patriots’ in-house training staff. It was already known, through a December report by the Boston Globe’s Bob Hohler about Belichick curbing Guerrero’s privileges at Gillette Stadium, that the head coach had “allowed” players to work with Guerrero at the TB12 Center.
(L-R) Alex Guerrero, Bill Belichick (Photo credits: Elsa/Al Bello/Getty Images)
Curran shed a little more light on the situation, explaining that Belichick has personally sent players to work with Guerrero in the past, and that his decision to reduce Guerrero’s privileges were a matter of maintaining control over decisions as it relates to players and the training staff.
“[Belichick] only wants certain players going there under his recommendation,” Curran said. “Alex is a soft tissue expert, first and foremost. He’s a friggin’ genius if you have a pull, a tweak, swelling, up to and including ankle sprains. He will get in there and fix them … Bill subscribes to that. Bill will send people [to TB12] for that. … But when it gets to the point where [Guerrero tells them] ‘Look, if you do this you’re gonna get too tight and as a result I would suggest you don’t do, ie. squats, bench-presses, whatever.’ [Belichick] can’t have that inside the building.
“Alex has not been banished. He’s in the cafeteria back there. He just isn’t working on players as he’d previously been. … It’s a pseudo-exile.”
That “pseudo-exile”, according to Hohler’s report from Dec. 2017, includes the barring of Guerrero from flying on team planes or standing on the sidelines during games. He also can’t work with anyone besides Brady in his personal office at Gillette Stadium. Players are still permitted to walk or take a shuttle to TB12 to work with Guerrero, ostensibly with Belichick’s approval.
Curran’s explanation doesn’t necessarily undo the tension between Belichick and Brady over his handling of Guerrero. It’s a clear exertion of control over the team by the head coach, who apparently felt that Guerrero had begun to overreach or undermine the Patriots’ trainers with his training recommendations. But it’s an interesting detail that Belichick has personally subscribed to Guerrero’s work more than the general public may be led to believe.
Listen above for Curran’s full interview, and below for Shaughnessy’s response on the Jones show.
Click here for all Patriots updates from 98.5 The Sports Hub.
