There was enough noise surrounding Bill Belichick’s future as the head coach of the North Carolina football program that both he and athletic director Bubba Cunningham had to release a statement Wednesday confirming his commitment.
“I’m fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here,” Belichick said.
“Coach Belichick has the full support of the Department of Athletics and University,” Cunningham added.
The statement comes after Ollie Connolly of the Guardian reported the coach “discussed buyout options with North Carolina’s hierarchy” and even “signalled a willingness to trigger his own $1 million buyout if he can find a soft landing with another team or in media.”
To say Belichick’s first season as the head coach of North Carolina has not gone according to plan would be quite the understatement.
After all, he arrived with plenty of fanfare as arguably the best coach in NFL history with six Super Bowl championships on his resume from his time with the New England Patriots. However, the Tar Heels are 2-3 on the season with the only wins coming against Charlotte and Richmond.
The losses to TCU, Clemson and UCF came by a combined 87 points in games that were never competitive. It is a far cry from when Belichick was winning Lombardi Trophies with Tom Brady at the NFL level.
The losses are one thing, but there has been no shortage of reports surrounding the program.
Connolly added more details, including that members of the staff have spoken to other schools and that UNC is investigating “serious recruiting violations.”
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins was suspended because of a recruiting violation.
Then there was an extensive report from Pat Welter of WRAL that was the result of discussions with parents of players, staff members, people inside the athletic department and members of the UNC Board of Trustees.
“It’s an unstructured mess,” one source said of Belichick’s program. “There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster.”
Welter highlighted communication issues, preferential treatment for incoming transfers and recruits compared to remaining players, and a program in disarray.
“Multiple sources with knowledge of the inner workings of Belichick’s program say the results on the field are a product of a divided locker room, a disorganized coaching staff and a failure to communicate,” Welter reported.
Things seem rather bleak for the Tar Heels at this point, but it seems like Belichick will at least remain in place through the rest of the season as he attempts to turn things around following a disappointing start.
