Former Patriots head coach Bill Bellichick is not a man of many words, but he has sparked quite a debate in Massachusetts about the so-called “millionaire tax.”

On the “Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick referred to the state as “Taxachusetts,” saying the Fair Share Amendment, a 4% additional tax on income over $1 million a year, was hurting New England’s ability to sign players.

“When you get to that million dollar mark, you pay more taxes in Massachusetts,” Belichick said. “It’s just another thing you have to deal with when negotiating there. It’s not like Tennessee or Florida or Nevada, or some of those teams don’t have state income tax. So you get pretty hard on that from the agents. They come and hammer you because they pay taxes.”

The Fair Share Amendment was approved by voters in a referendum in 2022.

Some lawmakers say Belichick should stick with football.

“Thank you for the six NFL titles, and maybe leave tax policy to the experts,” said Democratic Rep. Mike Connolly of Middlesex County.

“There is a recent report from the Tax Foundation that says at least ten other NFL franchises are subject to higher taxes than the New England Patriots.”

And according to this analysis from the Tax Foundation, teams like the Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers pay twice as much tax as the Patriots.

Players are also taxed in other states where they play games, which they can later deduct from their Massachusetts tax bill.

“In most cases, players obviously want as much money as possible, but they also want a chance to be successful,” said Phil Perry, an insider with NBC Sports Boston Patriots. “Even the weather, I think, would rank higher in the eyes of the players, based on the players I’ve talked to over the years, than the tax rate.”

Connolly also noted that there is usually a commission for playing in New England.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that we, myself included, are obsessed with our sports team. And while it’s probably true that that impacts our taxes, I would also argue that that’s probably offset by the incredible advertising and media opportunities that professional athletes enjoy in the city of Boston and in Massachusetts.”

Revenue from the millionaire tax goes to fund public education and public transportation throughout the state.