Despite promising further comment after a ruling, Belichick consistently referred to the written statement he issued Thursday night, in which he apologized for what he called "my mistake" and said his interpretation of the video rule was "incorrect."
"My focus is on the Chargers," said Belichick of tomorrow night's opponent at Gillette Stadium. "Look, I understand there is interest out there. I understand there are a lot of stories, but everything is in the past. It's been decided. It's over with and we're heading to San Diego.
"There's nothing you can do about the past."
The written statement was enough of a mea culpa for at least one person, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who issued a statement yesterday supporting Belichick.
"I believe that Coach Belichick always tries to do what is best for the team and he is always accountable for his decisions," said Kraft. "He has been a very important part of what our organization has accomplished over the last seven years.
"In this case, one of his decisions has resulted in a severe penalty for our franchise. He has paid a heavy price and so has our organization. He has apologized for his actions. I accept his apology and look forward to working with him as we move forward."
In his seven-minute press conference, Belichick said the phrase "moving on" at least nine times, and only Ron Burgundy, Will Ferrell's fictional newscaster from the movie "Anchorman," laced more sentences with the words "San Diego."
Belichick's one admission was that there will be no Patriots staff member videotaping tomorrow night at Gillette Stadium. "That's correct. We will change our procedure on that," Belichick said matter-of-factly.
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said Belichick's actions have opened him up for comparison to San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds.
"We seem to have tarnished Barry Bonds," Dungy said yesterday. "We've pointed out that, even though he's a great player and he's hit a lot of home runs, because of what some people that work around him have done, it seems to have tarnished him in the court of public opinion. We'll see."
