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Twitter Can’t Get Enough of Bill Belichick’s Spending Spree: TRAINA THOUGHTS

NFL fans bust out GIFs, memes, have great reactions to the Patriots' free-agent binge.

Jimmy Traina

1. Twitter is an awful place. It’s not nearly as bad as Facebook, which is a top-five worst things on Earth, but Twitter is still awful.

However, every now and then, you log on to Twitter and it makes you happy for a moment. This was the case after the Patriots hauled in several free agents Monday, agreeing to deals totaling $232 million, and then again Tuesday morning when they signed tight end Hunter Henry.

There’s just something about Bill Belichick that brings out the best in Twitter. With the six-time Super Bowl–winning head coach going on a massive spending spree after a 7–9 season that saw his old quarterback win a ring, the tweets and memes and GIFs were flying. Twitter’s effort was simply outstanding. 

Even LeBron chimed in.

The Patriots got in on the action with this tweet after the Henry signing.

Here is a roundup of some of the best tweets we saw about Belichick’s free-agent bonanza.

2. I don't know anything about Bitcoin, but Panthers offensive lineman Russell Okung gambled on it and it's paying off in a big way.

3. The media didn't expect much from Virginia Tech's basketball team this season, so now that it's in the tournament, the team would like everyone to know it kept the receipts.

4. "You said a big word. You confused me." Heat star Jimmy Butler had a great reaction when a reporter asked him about the team "coalescing."

5. Happy 3:16 Day.

6. The latest episode of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features two guests.

First up is ESPN play-by-play man Ryan Ruocco, who was calling the Nuggets-Mavericks game on March 11, 2020, when the NBA announced the season would be suspended because of COVID-19. Ruocco talks about that experience, how his mindset about COVID-19 changed from that night until now, whether he'd be comfortable calling games in full arenas, whether he ever got used to calling games from home and much more.

Following Ruocco, Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent, joins the podcast to discuss how the media has covered COVID-19, what the media has done well and not so well, what the media's responsibilities are in reporting about COVID-19 vaccines, if he ever expected a pandemic to become so political, what it's like to cover media while working for a media company, the cable news wars and much more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Stitcher.

You can also watch the SI Media Podcast on YouTube.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: The truest cliché in all of sports: Nobody cares about your bracket.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Stitcher. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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