It’s one of the most iconic moments in NFL history.

Just a day after being named head coach of the New York Jets on Jan. 4, 2000, Bill Belichick wrote his resignation on a napkin and instead chose to join the New England Patriots. After years of running the Jets’ defense, Belichick instead opted to coach their biggest rival.

Six Super Bowls and plenty of playoff wins later, Belichick’s decision remains one of the most polarizing in NFL history, even if it was a clear win for his career.

For years, Belichick has been coy on what led to the decision to spurn the Jets. Many fans and analysts have speculated why, given that a change in ownership was on the horizon.

But for the first time — at least in a clear and concise fashion — the current head coach of North Carolina football is speaking out, making it clear why his time as Jets head coach was the shortest in NFL history.

Belichick comes clean

On an episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Belichick explained exactly why he chose to leave the Jets after three seasons as their defensive coordinator.

At the end of the day, it stemmed from his time with the Cleveland Browns and former owner Art Modell.

“I had worked for Modell, and the two trains coming down the track were (Charles) Dolan and Woody Johnson,” Belichick said. “I just felt like … I don’t feel comfortable with whichever one of those guys ends up with the team.

“Nothing personal. I just had a bad experience (with Modell), and I was … either I’m going to work for a good owner or an owner that I felt comfortable with, who would share a vision with or … I’m not working for that.”

Modell was the owner in Cleveland who moved the Browns out of the historic football city due to financial reasons. He did not receive enough funding for a new stadium and tried to settle the financial trouble he was in.

Across NFL history, Modell is seen as a football villain.

He famously booted Paul Brown out of Cleveland, despite the coach founding the organization in the 1950s. Modell also enraged Hall-of-Fame running back Jim Brown during the latter part of the star’s career because he didn’t want to pay him for his services.

Moving the Browns out of Cleveland, when the team had just been to the playoffs the year prior, is one of the most controversial moves in NFL history and clearly left a bad taste in Belichick’s mouth.

Cheap shot or not?

For as difficult a run as the Jets have had recently, Belichick comparing Woody Johnson to Modell seems like nothing more than jumping on a struggling team now. Remember, during the first 10 seasons of Johnson’s tenure as owner, the Jets made the playoffs six times and reached the conference championship game twice.

They finished with a record above .500 in eight of those seasons.

It has been Johnson’s inability to adapt that has hurt him most.

That doesn’t make Belichick’s initial assessment of him necessarily correct, though. New York was highly successful during Belichick’s first decade in New England.

Did it match the Patriots’ success? Of course not.

But history has also shown Belichick’s coaching career can largely be credited to the greatness of Tom Brady.

So while NFL fans can use Belichick’s answer this week as another chance to clown the New York Jets, the reality is that the true answer is more grounded than anything the future Hall-of-Famer may want to be perceived.