Robert Kraft: Patriots will put up a Bill Belichick statue when he retires from coaching

Despite the appearance of some hard feelings between Patriots owner Robert Kraft and former coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots plan to honor Belichick with a statue outside their stadium.

Kraft said that when Belichick retires from coaching, the Patriots will erect a statue alongside the one they just put up honoring Tom Brady.

"When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching," Kraft told WBZ. "When Bill's coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy."

The 73-year-old Belichick has given no indication that he wants to retire any time soon, although his first game as head coach at North Carolina on Monday raised questions about whether the game has passed him by. If he can't turn North Carolina around quickly, he may retire - and get that statue - sooner than he wants.