Bill Belichick just gave a Covid-19 halftime speech from his house

“Let’s keep stringing good days together and we will get through this.”

Crises can show us different sides of people. Bill Belichick seems like the type of person who prefers to live in social isolation even when there isn’t a global pandemic going on, notorious as he is for giving gruff, curt press conferences before slinking away from reporters.

But on Wednesday, he sat down in front of a camera in what appears to be his study and spoke for a minute and 16 seconds — a veritable filibuster by Belichick-ian standards — about the coronavirus pandemic.

He praised medical workers as “champions and warriors.” He called Covid-19 “a difficult opponent,” and implored everyone to show “teamwork, discipline and commitment” in fighting it. In essence, he gave a pandemic halftime speech, with all of the trademark charm and charisma he could muster.

Which is to say, he stepped up his personality a tic above “cardboard,” and quite honestly I appreciate the effort. Belichick is a wildly successful and influential man, and his words can only help encourage Americans to practice smart social distancing. Especially given how some of his friends have handled messaging during the pandemic.

So please, even if you’re not a Patriots fan, listen to the man. “Let’s keep stringing good days together and we will get through this.”