Bill Belichick
David Jensen/Getty
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 06: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the first half of the football game against the Charlotte 49ers at Jerry Richardson Stadium on September 06, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
“It’s clear I’m not welcome around their facility, so they’re not welcome in ours.” North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick didn’t mince words on Saturday when a reporter asked him to comment on the reports that had surfaced earlier in the week that Belichick had banned all New England Patriots scouts from the North Carolina facilities.
The second-winningest coach in NFL history, Belichick won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the Patriots from 2000-2023. Long considered one of the greatest defensive minds the game had ever seen, his tenure with New England came to an unceremonious end after a disappointing 2023 season. When legendary QB Tom Brady departed in free agency in 2020, Belichick was never able to find his successor, and his long run of success faltered at the end of his NFL career.
Clearly, his departure has soured Belichick’s feelings towards the organization, and he’s choosing to dig in rather than trying to mend fences. Still, it’s interesting that he’s actively harming his own players’ ability to make it in the NFL just to feed his own personal feud.
New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Responds
Bill Belichick
Jared C. Tilton/GettyCHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 01: Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the first half of the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Kenan Stadium on September 01, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Earlier in the week, after the reports that Belichick was banning Patriots’ scouts from UNC practices surfaced, New England head coach Mike Vrabel was asked to respond. Vrabel was a Super Bowl-winning linebacker with the Patriots under Belichick in his playing days, and he was inducted into the Patriots’ Ring of Honor in 2023.
“That’s an individual choice,” he said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we start looking at players. We’re going to focus on our football team. I think that’s their prerogative to make the decisions they feel like are best for them. I think we’ll have to find other ways to get the information for any players we want to look at, at North Carolina.”
Vrabel is seemingly uninterested in feeding the growing beef between Belichick and the Patriots, and he clearly still has immense respect for his former head coach. At some point, however, Belichick’s willingness to cut off access to Patriots scouts will harm their ability to do their jobs.
Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tenure Off to a Rough Start
For all his big talk, Belichick laid a dud in his first game with North Carolina. The Tar Heels had an island game on the opening weekend of college football, a primetime game against TCU on Labor Day (Monday, September 1). North Carolina drove down the field quickly on their opening possession, scoring a quick touchdown, but it fell apart after that. UNC got blitzed 48-14 by the Horned Frogs, an underwhelming debut for one of the game’s greats.
North Carolina did bounce back on Saturday, beating Charlotte 20-3. But Belichick has a quarterback problem on his hands, as he’s seemingly unwilling to commit to one passer. Things won’t get any easier, either, as after a game against Richmond, UNC travels to Central Florida, then faces off against Clemson.