A hollow vote of confidence caps Bill Belichick’s most absurd week yet at UNC (and it’s only Thursday)

North Carolina touted Bill Belichick’s hire as proof it was finally serious about football. But about 11 months in — with a string of fiascos on and off the field — it looks more like a basketball school playing dress-up as a football power, and doing a poor job of it. 

Carolina athletics released terse statements from Belichick and athletic director Bubba Cunningham Wednesday night following a long day of closed-door meetings in Chapel Hill as Belichick’s tenure reached its nadir. 

“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 the university,” Cunningham added. 

This will do nothing to quell the schadenfreude the industry has towards the sideshow in Chapel Hill, and make no mistake, the college football world is watching and laughing; whether it’s opposing coaches, their agents, or others, Belichick’s comeuppance is a particular delight. The texts flew in in the wake of a listless blowout vs. Clemson. 

“Do you think UNC could pull the plug at the end of the year? I know it’s a transition year, but they aren’t competitive,” wrote one former NFL front office member. 

An ACC personnel staffer sent a gif of a half underwater Titanic, implying that the ship is sinking in Chapel Hill. A coach on the staff of a future UNC opponent joked that he wanted the chaos to continue because he felt it gave his team a better chance to win. In texts viewed by CBS Sports, former players from teams in UNC’s poor football past joked that “they’re worse than us.” 

UNC has had many two-, three-, and four-win seasons. Larry Fedora went 3-9 in 2018 and 2-9 before being fired in 2019. It was not the talk of football. It’s not that UNC is terrible. It’s that they’re embarrassing. The image of an aloof Belichick and GM Mike Lombardi at the helm, with little contrition for the the chaos they’re courting, is not something haughty Carolina is swallowing well. 

These Belichick lowlights from the last 11 days say it all

– Belichick was spotted on Nantucket during UNC’s pre-Clemson bye weekend the weekend of Sept 28. The headline in the New York Post: Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson retreat to Nantucket for romantic getaway on UNC’s bye week. 

– A 1,400 page letter Sept. 29 from Lombardi to high-level UNC donors obtained by CBS Sports in which college football’s highest paid front office person outlined the future of the program’s roster and a plan to sign 40 freshman to make up for hewn out 2022, 2023, and 2024 classes that didn’t stay together because of a perfect storm including “players no longer caring about colors, shoes, education or a great campus.” There were personal anecdotes about his love for the Philadelphia 76ers but disdain for Sam Hinkie’s losing-to-win mentality. Lombardi has butchered putting a competitive roster on the field this year, which he ascribed to the fact that he and Belichick got there  in early December. 

– The 38-10 blowout at the hands of Clemson where the Tigers used three quarterbacks after scoring on five of their first six possessions including a double pass on the first play of the game. The Heels looked hapless coming off of a bye week, and cameras caught fans streaming for the exits. The game was hours after a Ludacris concert on campus that started at 10 a.m. because a presumed primetime kickoff instead was selected for the noon window (the Tigers’ own disappointment to date contributed to that).  

– Monday’s reporting that Carolina was not posting clips of their most visible current alum in the NFL, Drake Maye, because he played for Belichick’s former employer, the New England Patriots. This was somehow the story of the day Monday after the Patriots’ upset win over the Bills on Sunday Night Football. Carolina’s Twitter account had no problems promoting other Heels in the league, and a Maye highlight appeared after the news broke, some nine hours after the game ended. 

– Reports that UNC football cancelled a Hulu documentary, which UNC sources have not denied to Heels247 (the second scuttled docu-series of Belichick’s tenure). Neither Everwonder studios nor Hulu responded to a request for comment, 

– A report from The Athletic that said a North Carolina assistant coach had been suspended for a minor violation of NCAA rules. 

– Wednesday’s reporting regarding the beginnings of an effort to try and find a way to get rid of Belichick for cause to get out from under $20 million of money owed to him. One way to go about that is to use NCAA violations as leverage (ask Kansas and UConn how that worked in their situations with David Beaty and Kevin Ollie, respectively, which ended with both schools paying ousted coaches most of the money originally owed). Upset members of the Rams Club or even the board of trustees and people actioning what will certainly be an protracted legal battle are two very different things, but the hearsay ran wild about staff changes below Belichick on the org chart as well. 

The fact that there’s even a conversation regarding Belichick being one-and-done is its own treatise on just how toxic this situation is in Chapel Hill. Following that reporting, the vote of confidence statement arrived at 9:36 p.m. on Wednesday night. If you’re playing along at home, that’s seven weeks into season No. 1. It did not get past anybody that Cunningham — who did not want to hire Belichick, and is on his way out the door — did not personally put his support behind Belichick, instead saying Belichick had the support of the department of athletics and the University. North Carolina pays Belichick $10.1 million annually, the ninth-highest salary in college football. 

It is no secret in industry circles that Belichick’s main backers have always been members of the board of trustees, namely chairman John Preyer and chancellor Lee Roberts. Throughout the search process, Cunningham preferred a younger coach with more college experience such as Matt Campbell from Iowa State or Jon Sumrall from Tulane. Just because college football is a business does not mean it is the same business as the NFL, and just because Belichick succeeded in the NFL does not mean he’s bringing the most modern version of an NFL blueprint with him. Whatever baggage and scar tissue that pre-empted his split with the Patriots is instead what Belichick toted to Chapel Hill. 

The program is fractured. Inside the college football world, North Carolina is the new laughingstock. Outside of it, in the realm of the New York Post and mornings shows, Belichick is clear tabloid fodder. Until we get to the early signing period (UNC is holding on to the No. 17 class) and transfer portal season, winning is the only balm. Losing will continue the spiral. North Carolina should be thankful it is again on a bye this weekend.