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David Hale
Chapel Hill, NC – After a week of chaos all around North Carolina The football program and Bill Belichick’s future in Chapel Hill, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach denied rumors he was looking for an exit and doubled down on his belief that his “process” will ultimately lead to a winning team.
“Any reports of me looking for a buyout or trying to leave are completely false,” Belichick said. “There’s no truth to any of that. I’m glad I’m here. We’re working toward our goals. We believe in the process a lot. We just need to keep working and keep working hard, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Belichick said that “there were some things we could have done better” but widely praised embattled general manager Michael Lombardi as “doing a good job”, reiterated that the timing of his hiring placed North Carolina behind other schools in terms of talent acquisition, and said that, regardless of the results on the field for a 2-3 team, UNC has made major strides in its performance.
“It’s a learning curve,” Belichick said. “We’re all in this together. But we’re making a lot of progress, and the process will ultimately yield the same results we want as they have everywhere else I’ve been.”
Belichick’s Monday media session was attended by Lombardi, along with university Chancellor Lee Roberts, athletics director Bubba Cunningham and several other high-level administrators — which was unique for a midseason news conference.
Cunningham said the school continues to support Belichick’s vision for the program, but he acknowledged being very disappointed by the disappointing results.
“There’s been a steeper learning curve than we all expected,” Cunningham said. “The gap between expectations and performance is much more serious than we expected, and that’s what attracts a lot of attention.”
Two weeks earlier, Lombardi had sent a letter to donors preaching patience during the “rebuilding” process, a term that was refuted by many players.
“This is Coach Belichick’s first year, so I’m not surprised he wants to recreate it,” Boise State transfer Andrew Simpson Said. “Just wanting to grow and get better, that’s what I focus on. Just because it’s a rebuild doesn’t mean we can’t win games now. We have seven more games, and that’s what I focus on.”
Belichick downplayed any concerns about on-field results, saying “they have no expectations other than to accomplish what we want to accomplish every day” and reiterated that he has the support of the administration.
Belichick also dismissed reports of internal discord in the locker room and after several players made themselves available to the media on Monday, Belichick said Lombardi, in particular, maintains close communication with players.
Amid other controversies last week, Belichick declined to comment on the suspension of assistant coach Armand Hawkins for recruiting violations, but he did say that a planned Hulu documentary, which was reportedly canceled amid the team’s poor start, will still happen in some form.
“It’s still a work in progress, and we’re working through some logistics,” Belichick said. “But something will happen.”
North Carolina is coming off its second open date in the last three weeks and heads to Cal for the team’s first ACC road trip on Friday.
Belichick said that despite the bad loss against Clemson after the last open date, he expected to perform better with the extra week of practice time.
“Everyone is interested in the final score and I am at the top of that list,” he said. “But it’s a process. You build a culture, you build a program, and eventually the results will come. When will that happen? Hopefully as soon as possible. We’re working hard to get there.”
