Sports Illustrated did a deep dive on Belichick in 2004, and the ownership situation was one of several factors:I don’t think Bill would wanna run a team under a guy like Tepper (one of the primary reasons he got the hell out of dodge in NY back in 2000 was that ownership transferred from Leon Hess to Woody Johnson), but I also have no idea what other options Bill will have. I agree the Panthers cannot be crossed out yet given the uncertainty of what Bill will want v what options he will have, even though I think Washington makes more sense on paper at the moment.
I agree that Belichick isn’t going to tolerate an owner like Tepper at this point in his career/life.No one except those closest to him realizes it, but it was because of his experience with Modell that Belichick walked away from the Jets' job. Belichick knew he might get only one more chance to be an NFL head coach, and he didn't want that to be under the thumb of an owner he didn't know (the Jets were up for sale), with a club president he viewed as a know-nothing (Steve Gutman) and, to a much lesser degree, a director of football operations he felt he had outgrown (Parcells). If he was going to be a head coach again, he would do it on his terms.
https://vault.si.com/vault/2004/08/09/master-and-commander-with-football-principles-learned-under-his-dad-a-coach-at-navy-brainy-bill-belichick-has-turned-new-england-into-the-nfls-mightiest-vessel