On the morning of Jan. 4, 2000, Bill Belichick began one of the biggest days in his professional life on a treadmill in the New York Jets' weight room. There was nothing unusual about that; he was among a handful of coaches who liked to work up a sweat before attacking the daily grind of the NFL.
What happened next, though, was hardly routine.
After his workout, Belichick -- still in his Jets warm-up suit -- was spotted leaving the building in an overcoat, carrying a briefcase.
"I said to myself, 'That is one of the strangest things I've ever seen.