Morning Sports Update

Excerpts from book on Patriots’ dynasty go inside friction of Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, Tom Brady

The revelations also include new insight into Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl benching.

Patriots dynasty
Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady celebrate winning the AFC Championship in 2017. Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis

By Hayden Bird

The Red Sox lost to the Orioles 4-2 on Tuesday night. Boston’s lead for the second American League wild card spot has now shrunk to a half game over the Mariners (and remains a one-game lead over the Blue Jays).

And the Connecticut Sun lost Game 1 of the WNBA Eastern Conference Semifinals to the New York Liberty in overtime, 101-95. Game 2 of the best-of-three series will be played tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Tonight, the Revolution are in Montreal to play the Impact, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Details emerge from a new book about the Patriots dynasty.

In excerpts from his upcoming book, “It’s Better to Be Feared,” ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham shed light on a plethora of controversial topics revolving around the Patriots’ dynasty.

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The book, which will be released on Oct. 12, claims to tell “the full, behind-the-scenes story of the Patriots, capturing the brilliance, ambition, and vanity that powered and ultimately unraveled them.”

Several details and excerpts were revealed by ESPN on Wednesday. Here’s a look at some of what was released:

Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick: According to Wickersham, friction between Belichick and Kraft was on the rise in 2018.

“As for Kraft, in late September, he was in Aspen (Colorado) for a conference and bumped into a few friends in the hotel lobby early one morning,” wrote Wickersham. “He told them he was leaving later for Detroit, where the Patriots were playing their next game. ‘I hate leaving here,’ Kraft said. ‘You leave here and you leave some of the most brilliant people you’ve ever met. You pick up so much knowledge from all these brilliant minds. And I have to go to Detroit to be with the biggest f—–ng a–hole in my life: my head coach.'”

Kraft also reportedly called Belichick “an idiot savant.”

Belichick and Tom Brady: While Brady left the Patriots as a free agent in 2020, Wickersham noted that the longtime New England quarterback first began stating a desire to leave in 2017.

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Brady hit an “emotional plateau” during the 2017 season, referencing Belichick as “so negative.”

“I don’t want to play for Bill anymore,’ [Brady] told people close to him in 2017,” Wickersham wrote.

The Patriots’ reaction to Belichick’s letter to Donald Trump: After Belichick wrote a letter of support to the then-presidential candidate — and following Trump’s decision to read it aloud at a New Hampshire rally — then-Patriots assistant coach Brian Flores told Belichick that he “needed to say something” to the team.

When the Patriots’ coach did address the team about the letter, it reportedly wasn’t received very well.

“It was hypocritical and out of character,” said a Patriots player, per Wickersham. “I don’t think he’s an intolerant coach. He isn’t a bad guy. Bill just f—ed up and justified it in a way that he would never accept from a player.”

The decision to bench Malcolm Butler: After years of speculation, more information emerged about the decision to bench Butler, a Patriots starting cornerback, during Super Bowl LII.

According to ESPN’s account, “Butler and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia traded heated words at practice over the former Super Bowl hero’s lack of effort.

“Butler was demoted. At the team party after New England’s loss, Butler responded to teammates asking why he was benched by saying, ‘These dudes,’ referring to the coaches, according to the book, ‘these mother f—ers.'”

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Belichick and Eric Mangini: Amid the lingering feud between Mangini, a former Patriots assistant coach (then the Jets’ head coach), and Belichick, the two nearly got into a fight at the 2008 league meetings.

“After a dinner for head coaches, Julie Mangini, wife of Eric, bumped into Belichick and said hi, trying to ease tension after the post-Spygate fallout,” the ESPN article explained. “Belichick blew her off, and when she told Eric what had happened, he charged across the room and needed to be held back by other coaches from swinging at Belichick. ‘Hey Bill, f— you!’ Mangini yelled.”

More from Boston.com:

Trivia: In 1994, Bill Belichick’s Browns went 11-5 with Vinny Testaverde as the team’s quarterback. The backup for Cleveland was a former Super Bowl winner. Name that quarterback.

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He is the only Canadian born player to win Super Bowl MVP.

Richard Sherman is signing with the Buccaneers:

Lionel Messi’s first goal for PSG: Naturally, it came on the biggest of stages as PSG beat Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League.

On this day: In 2018, a Red Sox fan threw the ball back onto the field after a home run from Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton. The ball actually hit Stanton as he headed towards third base.

Stanton found the incident amusing, waving to the fan, and posting a humorous video on his Instagram combining footage from the movie “Rookie of the Year.”

Daily highlight: On Tuesday, FC Sheriff Tiraspol — a club that technically represents Moldova but is actually located in the unrecognized breakaway state of Transnistria — upset Real Madrid in a Champions League group stage match 2-1.

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The winning goal was scored by Sébastien Thill, who has a tattoo of himself dreaming of playing in the Champions League.

Trivia answer: Mark Rypien

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