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Bill Belichick won six Super Bowls during nearly a quarter of a century coaching the New England Patriots, but it’s clear that relationship has deteriorated since his departure in January of 2024 leading to plenty of animosity and hard feelings.
When asked to address reports that he banned a Patriots scout from attending practices at North Carolina this summer, Belichick said bluntly, “It’s clear I’m not welcomed in their facility, so they aren’t welcomed in ours … Simple as that.”
Belichick’s comments came just minutes after he won his first game as head coach of North Carolina 20-3 over Charlotte on a rain-soaked afternoon in front of a record crowd of 19,233 at Jerry Richardson Stadium.
“It’s hard to win,” Belichick said after Saturday’s victory. “You gotta do a lot of things right. You gotta do it better than your opponent, so we were fortunate to do that. So it’s, it’s good to be part of it. I tried to do what I could to help them, but look, I didn’t make any blocks, tackles, catches, runs or anything else out there.”
UNC’s win wasn’t all that impressive against a huge underdog in Charlotte, and there is certainly plenty of room for improvement, particularly on offense where the Tar Heels scored on their first possession only to go into an offensive funk for the second time in six days.
The only difference in Week 2 is they were able to get away it because Charlotte’s offense had nothing to threaten the Tar Heels. It was a win that helped heal some wounds from Belichick’s debut on Monday night, which ended in an embarrassing 48-14 loss to TCU in front of a who’s who or North Carolina sports alumni including Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor and Mia Hamm, as well as a curious national television audience.
“It was clear in the locker room and as we got out on the practice field there was a ... higher level of determination and commitment,” Belichick said. “That was good to see us improve.”
Belichick spent the short week in the headlines – first drawing criticism for the loss after the school gave him a five-year, $50m contract to turn the program around, and secondly for his decision to ban a Patriots scout from the team’s campus in Chapel Hill.
Belichick spent 24 mostly highly successful seasons with the Patriots, where he teamed with Tom Brady to reach the Super Bowl nine times, winning it all six times.
