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Famed Boston statues to get hoodie treatment

William Linares, working for the NFL Network, placed a Patriots hoodie on the John Singleton Copley statue. William Linares, working for the NFL Network, placed a Patriots hoodie on the John Singleton Copley statue. (Barry Chin/Globe Staff)
By David Filipov
Globe Staff / September 14, 2011

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It is the humblest of apparel, a cutoff cotton embodiment of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s no-frills public persona.

But today, the lowly hoodie will adorn the likenesses of some of Boston’s most vaunted historical figures. Five statues will be decked out in replicas of the short-sleeved garment so closely linked with Belichick that many call him The Hoodie.

The tribute is timed to the debut tomorrow night on NFL network of “Bill Belichick: A Football Life,’’ a behind-the-scenes look at the Patriots’ coach.

Among the figures to be adorned: Mayor James Michael Curley, whose iron-fisted rule presaged Belichick’s reign over the Pats; Christopher Columbus, who led Europeans to the New World, as Belichick would lead New England to the Super Bowl; John Singleton Copley, a leading Colonial artist, whose skilled brushwork evokes Belichick’s pinpoint play-calling.

The hoodie will also appear on the tortoise and hare statues in Copley Square - no clue as to any Belichick connection there.

Dena Kaplan, the network’s senior vice president of marketing, said the city helped identify iconic figures for the iconic garb.

But is farming out statues to public relations campaigns proper for Boston? Yes, said Parks and Recreation Department spokesperson Jacque Goddard, who added that the network is making a donation to help fund restoration of Boston statues.

What does Belichick think about his hoodie being statue-ized? “His focus this time of year is solely on football,’’ said team spokesman Stacey James.

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