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Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants before taking over the reins in New England.
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Bill Parcells developed the reputation of an abrasive and tough coach during his NFL career. In retirement, though, it seems the former Patriots head coach shows his former players a softer side.
According to New York sportswriter Gary Myers, Parcells has loaned $4 million to 20 of his former players. He does so without any expectations of a return on his investment.
Speaking on the Boomer and Gio show on WFAN, Myers briefly recounted the background of Parcells’s financial generosity. It’s one of many stories featured in his upcoming book about the 1986 New York Giants, “Once a Giant: A Story of Victory, Tragedy, and Life After Football.”
“It’s incredibly generous what he’s done with these guys,” Myers said.
When Myers asked Parcells why he’d do such a thing, and the answer was simple.
“He said, ‘These guys have sacrificed so much for me with their bodies and their commitment’ … what he has left, he’s designated to help those close to him that need it.”
Parcells’s rough personality has been at the center of plenty of NFL stories over the years. Former Cowboy Marcellus Wiley explained the time Parcells ended legendary running back Eddie George’s 10-year starting streak, among other anecdotes about his former coach.
Myers thinks his book will change some perspectives about Parcells.
“People are going to find out about how Bill Parcells has made this transition from a guy who had love-hate relationships with his players to the patriarch of that [1986] team.”
Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants, one in the 1986 season, and another in 1990. He went on to coach the Patriots from 1993 to 1996, where he appeared in another Super Bowl, losing to the Green Bay Packers. He also coached for the Jets and Cowboys.
Myers’s book is set to release on Sept. 12 and includes interviews with Parcells, Lawrence Taylor, current Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and other members of the 1986 Giants.
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