New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick isn't a fan of losing, and he doesn't exactly try to hide it. Following the team's punishing 28-13 loss in the AFC championship Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens, Belichick skipped the customary post-game interview with CBS's Steven Tasker, and was taken to task for the snub as a "sore loser" immediately by NFL analyst, and former player Shannon Sharpe.
Win or lose, it's well established tradition for coaches to conduct these sort of post-game interviews. But Belichick bucked the system entirely after the Ravens loss, and that didn't sit well with Sharpe.
"There's something to be said about being gracious in defeat. We've seen the New England Patriots, five times of the last 12 years, be victorious. And we've seen the opposing coaches that lost, come out and talk to our Steve Tasker," Sharpe said. "We saw coach Cowher when they lost. We saw this last year. Bill Belichick makes it real easy to root against the Patriots. You can't be a poor sport all the time. You're not going to win all the time."
Rather than Belicheck, CBS got an interview with Patriots safety Devin McCourty, instead, which may have worked better for New England in the long run, as he actually behaved like a professional. But it also isn't exactly a fair trade, as Yahoo News notes.
McCourty answered questions to the best of his ability and even praised the Ravens, like an adult.
Belichick could have actually provided insight into some of the teams' controversial game decisions, though. Such as why he chose to punt at the Ravens' 35-yard line and later at the Ravens' 34, and how the Patriots mismanaged the clock at the end of the first half, missing out on taking a shot at the end zone before settling for a field goal.
This isn't the first time the Patriots coach has engaged in poor sportsmanship after a loss. When New England lost to the Ravens earlier in the regular season, Belichick was livid, berating a referee as he left the field. Perhaps most notably, though, was when the Patriots head coach walked off the field with a second still remaining in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, a classless action that caused many to question his sportsmanship.
Sharpe wasn't the only person to put Belichick on notice for his acrimonious post-game behavior.
More react on Twitter
"Thanks to Shannon Sharpe for saying what should have been said a long time ago. The inability to be gracious is defeat is a character flaw!" wrote CBS radio host Tim Brando.
"I don't normally love Shannon Sharpe but he absolutely delivered on Bill Belichick's refusal to do a post-game with CBS. Bravo," wrote Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch.
"Sharpe ripping Belichick. I love it," tweeted CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco.
"RT @edgaryn: '@Eric_Edholm: RT @vitostellino: Belichick declined CBS post game interview.' Sharpe nailed this. Win/w class lose with it too," tweeted Vito Stellino, sports writer for the Florida Times-Union.
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