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Bill Belichick dismisses ‘baseless’ claims, ‘absolutely’ plans to coach Patriots next season

Bill Belichick said he isn’t going anywhere. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)

Bill Belichick opened Monday’s news conference by saying he had not read the article published Friday by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, who wrote of bubbling discontent between the New England Patriots coach, quarterback Tom Brady and owner Robert Kraft, and didn’t care to respond to Wickersham’s assertion that he was “furious and demoralized” after being forced to trade backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

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“I know you want to report on things that are inaccurate and un-attributable, and I’m not interested in responding to all those random and in a lot of cases baseless comments,” Belichick said when asked about the report.

And then he was on to Tennessee, New England’s opponent in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

“Right now my interest is trying to do the best I can for our football team to get ready for Saturday night against Tennessee,” Belichick told reporters.

Then he was asked whether he planned to be back as New England’s coach next season: “Absolutely.”

On Friday, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News reported, via a source close to Belichick, that the five-time Super Bowl champion “sees an opening — an opening to get to the Giants,” who are interviewing candidates to replace Ben McAdoo. Belichick was an assistant for the Giants from 1979 to 1990.

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