The rumored rift between the New England Patriots and Tom Brady's trainer and close friend, Alex Guerrero, has reportedly taken a dramatic turn.
On Tuesday, the Boston Globe published a report claiming that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has taken steps to limit Guerrero's presence around the team, including banning him from team's private charter and sideline on game days.
Belichick also permitted Guerrero, Brady's close friend and business partner, to secure his own office near the Patriots locker room, fly on the team charter to road games, and receive credentials to work the sidelines of every game, home and away.
But this season the Patriots coach has reversed course. For reasons he has declined to explain, Belichick weeks ago stripped Guerrero of his special team privileges, restoring a measure of tradition to the team's medical and training operation, according to several people familiar with the Patriots' internal operations.
Guerrero is now banned from boarding Patriots jets. His sideline access has been revoked. And he no longer is permitted to treat players other than Brady in his exclusive office at Gillette Stadium.
Guerrero has worked with Brady -- as well as a significant number of other current and former Patriots players -- for years. His alternative training methods and lifestyle tips have been highly regarded by many of those players, but it was his close relationship with Brady and the quarterback's TB12 brand that convinced the Patriots to allow him unparalleled access to the team despite not being an official employee of the Patriots.
The trainer's recent absence from the team has been noticed by reporters and been the source of rumors and speculation in recent weeks. Though Brady, Belichick and the Patriots have yet to directly address Guerrero's absence, it's believed that his revoked access was sparked by increasing friction between Guerrero and the Patriots' official medical and training personnel.
Many of Guerrero's alternative and holistic styles of treatment have reportedly clashed with the methods of the team's own staff, which has left them increasingly unhappy. In the past, Belichick has made in clear that his faith and trust lies in the organization's training staff.
But Brady has developed a strong relationship with Guerrero, 52, over the years. He credits the trainer with helping him recover from the torn ACL he suffered back in 2008 and says he's a big part of the reason he's still able to play quarterback at the age of 40. He collaborates with Guerrero on several TB12 initiatives, including the TB12 Therapy Center located just outside of Gillette Stadium. Gurrero is also the godfather to one of Brady's sons.
The strong personal and professional relationship between the two is supposedly what convinced Belichick to let Guerrero into the fold, giving him unparalleled access to the team despite a somewhat shady history of practice. According to the Globe, this access was granted by Belichick in an effort to appease his franchise quarterback.
Before Brady made him his business partner, Guerrero had been sanctioned by federal regulators for falsely presenting himself as a medical doctor and deceptively promoting nutritional supplements, according to government records.
Massachusetts state regulators also stepped in when Guerrero began doing business with Brady at the TB12 Center. While Guerrero treated Patriots players and other TB12 clients there, investigators looked into allegations that he was practicing physical therapy without a license. He was cleared of wrongdoing in a 2014 letter instructing him to abide by state regulations while supervising licensed therapists at the TB12 center.
Belichick indicated to the team's medical and training staffs at the time that his hands were tied because of Brady's special status with the franchise, according to a source with direct knowledge of Belichick's exchange with the staffers. The source said Belichick told those who complained about Guerrero: Tom wants him. What am I supposed to do?
But if there's one thing Belichick doesn't have much patience for (aside from losing), it's distractions plaguing his team. With the alleged rift between Guerrero and team personnel reportedly creating some divisiveness in New England, Belichick has reportedly chosen to pull the plug on much of Guerrero's access.
When asked about the reported beef between Guerrero and Belichick on Monday, Brady (unsurprisingly) didn't have much to say.
"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 during his weekly radio appearance on Boston's WEEI.
While it sounds like Brady is still allowed to meet with Guerrero inside the team's facilities, other players not named Tom Brady now will have to head to the nearby TB12 Center if they wish to seek counsel from Guerrero.
