SANTA CLARA – New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday he wishes he had the chance to work for former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo.
Belichick and the Patriots will be at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday when DeBartolo is honored for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The normally taciturn Belichick was effusive in his praise of DeBartolo and his family when asked about him on a conference call with Bay Area reporters.
“Eddie and I actually go back a long way,” Belichick said. “I go back even further with his wife (Candy). When I was a kid, I my dad grew up in Struthers (Ohio) and her family, her parents, were great friends of my grandparents.