Bill Belichick on 'Deflategate': 'We're on to next year'

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick dismissed questions about 'Deflategate' and the Wells Report on Friday.

Belichick spoke to reporters for the first time since the NFL issued the Patriots a league-record $1-million fine, took away their 2016 first-round and 2017 fourth-round picks, and issued superstar quarterback Tom Brady a four-game suspension.

Never inclined to speak effusively, Belichick dismissed the sanctions as old news.

"That's a long time ago," Belichick said to reporters. "We're on to next year. It's 2015. You can forget about last year. That was last year."

New England captured Super Bowl XLIX with a 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. It was Brady and Belichick's fourth championship with the Patriots.

Belichick previously won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants as the defensive coordinator, navigating a group led by legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

The Patriots' coach preferred to speak about the progress made in OTAs.

"We're trying to get everyone an opportunity to learn our system and be able to compete and play. Competition will really come in training camp. This is more of a teaching camp than a competitive camp," Belichick said.

"We want to try to get everyone an opportunity to learn, understand plays, know what to do, then let them compete in training camp. Then it's up to them."

Part of Belichick's incredible run of success can be attributed to his unmatched attention to detail and singular ability to focus on the task at hand. As a result, his stoic attitude about last season's victory and subsequent sanctions should come of little surprise to anyone.