‘Santa’ Belichick headlines SI cover

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — “Santa” Belichick and the Patriots are taking it one magazine cover at a time.

For the fourth consecutive month, the team with the perfect record is featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

The latest is the current year-end double issue with a doctored picture of New England coach Bill Belichick and his well-known serious look dressed in a red-and-white Santa Claus outfit. The caption reads, “Perfect Season’s GREETINGS.”

“Being associated with Santa Claus, there’s a lot worse associations to have,” Belichick said Thursday. “I’ll take it. When you’re a kid, sometimes you dream about being on the cover of Sports Illustrated. That’s not actually the one I pictured, but it’s pretty funny. Whatever sells.”