--- title: "Why Bill Belichick doesn’t wear NFL ‘Salute to Service’ gear" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-sports/bill-belichick-salute-to-service/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Sports" tags: - "Salute to Service" --- # Why Bill Belichick doesn’t wear NFL ‘Salute to Service’ gear ![]() It's safe to say that no one would describe the NFL's third most-winningest coach as a fashion maven. During most Patriots games, head coach Bill Belichick can be seen on the sidelines, wearing some version of a Patriots sweatshirt. Over the course of the man's 18-year career as the Patriots' HMFIC, he's committed more fashion penalties than anyone ever seen on television. The one thing you *don't* see him in is the NFL's annual November Salute to Service swag. The reason is simple, and if you know anything about the Pats' head coach, it's undeniably Belichick. --- After five Super Bowl wins and [an NFL-leading .628 winning percentage](), it's all come down to this: Why doesn't Bill Belichick ever wear the NFL's Salute to Service sweatshirts? This season, he actually answered the question for reporters. The first Sunday in November 2018 passed, and while every sideline in the country was adorned with olive green hoodies, one person was conspicuously still in his trademark, regular Patriots gear. ![]() Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy sports the NFL's 2018 "Salute to Service" hoodie vs. the Patriots on Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018. "Honestly, I don't think what sweatshirt I wear is that important," [he told reporters during a Monday press conference](). "What's important to me is what your actions are, what you do, so I try to make those count." Belichick's father was Steve Belichick, a World War II veteran and longtime coaching staff member at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Having spent much of his life in and around Naval officers and midshipmen, it's probably safe to say the younger Belichick developed an appreciation for the U.S. Armed Forces. As a matter of fact, it was his time spent at the Naval Academy as a youth that developed his proven approach to football. ![]() "Depending on the weather and so forth, I just wear the same thing for every game," Belichick told reporters on Nov. 5, 2018. In an interview with *[Nantucket Magazine]()*, the coach described how the football program at Annapolis led to his direction of the New England Patriots. "When I look back on it, one of the things I learned at Annapolis, when I grew up around the Navy football teams in the early sixties — Joe Bellino, Roger Staubach, Coach Wayne Hardin, and some of the great teams they had — I didn't know any differently. I just assumed that's what football was. Guys were very disciplined. They worked very hard. They did extra things. They were always on time, alert, ready to go, team-oriented, unselfish. I thought that's the way it all was. I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I can see how that molded me." ![]() Beli-chic. The Patriots' coach [is also well-known for his references to military history]() when discussing football strategy and on-field, in-game tactics with players and subordinate coaches. Military history and discipline is instilled in everyone in the Patriots organization, starting with the man at the top. Everyone has to go learn their military history, sources in the organization told the *Wall Street Journal*. Bill Belichick isn't about making empty gestures to the military, he and the New England Patriots live the idea behind 'Salute to Service' every day. So, when Bill Belichick's cut-sleeves Patriots hoodie isn't green during November, cut the guy some slack. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()