It wasn't long ago that Bill Belichick was one of the most respected figures in the NFL. As the head coach of the New England Patriots, he won six Super Bowls. But when the wins stopped coming, his luster faded. And following his departure from the NFL, things have gotten much worse, which is why the Jacksonville Jaguars passed on him in their search for a head coach earlier this year.
Belichick has recently made headlines because his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has been the subject of controversies. She allegedly forced her way into a Super Bowl commercial she wasn't supposed to be in and later vetoed an appearance of UNC on Hard Knocks, among other things.
Pablo Torre then broke the news that Hudson's relationship with UNC has soured so badly in recent weeks that they banned her from the football facilities. This led to the program to release a statement that said no such thing happened. Nevertheless, Torre stands by his reporting.
Belichick has since stated that Hudson has nothing to do with the University of North Carolina, but that's not the point. The season has yet to start, and her role, regardless of what it is or isn't, is generating lots of distractions. This runs opposite to his philosophy with the Patriots, where he did an excellent job of leaving the noise outside the building.
Think about it, it's been just a few months since Belichick became the head coach at UNC, and he's already embroiled in controversies.
The Jaguars got it right when they passed on Bill Belichick and hired Liam Coem
During the 2024 season and earlier this year, Bill Belichick was brought up several times as a potential fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars if they ousted Doug Pederson, which is what they did. The argument was that he was one of the greatest head coaches in league history. However, he had lost his curveball in recent years, which raised questions about his ability to help the Jags steer the ship in the right direction.
Jacksonville ultimately hired Liam Coen, and so far, it looks like a good decision. But if Belichick had become the head coach, it's fair to assume that the Jags would have had to deal with everything UNC is going through. That's kind of reminiscent of the Urban Meyer era, albeit a bit different.
When the Jags hired Meye, he had red flags, too many to overlook. To nobody's surprise, his tenure was a failure. The fact that he brought in Chris Doyle, an assistant who had no business being near players, as his director of sports performance should've been a sign that it was a poor decision. But that was just the beginning.
Meyer would deflect the blame for his decisions, would often forget his players' names, and frequently had no idea of which opponent Jacksonville was facing. That was just on the football field. He became infamous for dancing improperly with a woman who wasn't his wife at a bar after a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Then, allegations surfaced that he kicked Josh Lambo. The whole thing was too much of an embarrassment to keep him around.
While Belichick might not have been embroiled in that level of controversy, he's certainly making UNC have second thoughts about hiring. This is why the Jaguars should be thrilled that they dodged a bullet.
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