Latest report reveals why Falcons voted Bill Belichick 'off the island' during coaching search

The Atlanta Falcons were a team that expressed plenty of interest in hiring six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick in January. 

They even were the ones to take him through his first interview process since 1998. 

But it wasn't your typical interview process as Falcons owner Arthur Blank took Belichick out on his 95-foot, $180 million yacht for a day in Antigua. 

After that report came out back in January it felt like Belichick was their guy, but that ended up not being the case. 

ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr., Seth Wickersham and Jeremy Fowler recently took a deep dive into Belichick's coaching search and found the reason why the Falcons ultimately turned him down:

Despite that friendly first session, the unthinkable happened for a billionaire and a legendary coach: Blank and Belichick checked each other's references. Blank spoke by phone, at least twice, to Robert Kraft. Among the NFL owners, Blank considers Kraft his closest friend. Publicly, Kraft and Blank have said Kraft expressed only support and offered praise of his former coach.

But in a conversation with Blank, Kraft delivered a stark assessment of Belichick's character, according to a source who spoke to two people: a close Kraft friend and a longtime Belichick confidant. The source quoted the Belichick source as saying, "Robert called Arthur to warn him not to trust Bill." That account was backed up, the source said, by the close Kraft friend.

Multiple sources said that Kraft spoke with "some candor" to Blank about Belichick, though the sources declined to elaborate. One source close to Belichick said Kraft "was a big part" of why the Falcons passed on hiring him.

The sources said Kraft made clear to Blank that "you'll never have a warm conversation with" Belichick, echoing what Bill Parcells told Kraft in 1996 when he wanted to bust the budget and hire Belichick. "Blank likes coaches who feel part of a family," a Falcons source said, "and it wasn't going to be that way with Bill."

So, it was Blank's longtime friend and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft who steered the Falcons away from Belichick and had him "voted off the island" during their head coach search. 

ESPN added that Belichick was unaware of Kraft's comments, while Kraft denied saying anything negative. Additionally, a Falcons spokesperson denied to comment on whether or not Kraft criticized Belichick. 

Belichick won't be on the NFL sidelines this year, but he plans to make a return next hiring cycle. 

The Falcons are more than likely not in his future as ESPN says he has his eyes on the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys. Until then, he is expected to spend the season in TV and sign a deal to do analysis for Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions.