Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels started off the 2025 NCAA season with the wrong foot. Now, reports suggest the Chapel Bill era might have another controversy, this time involving Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots.
Belichick’s debut in college football was nothing short of a shipwreck—or at least, that’s how it looked across the nation. North Carolina was humiliated at home by the visiting TCU Horned Frogs, who walked out with a 48-14 victory. It’s time for Belichick and company to put it in the backburner and move on.
However, a report around college football hints Belichick’s past might come back to bite him. Namely, his dispute with Kraft and the Patriots, the NFL franchise with which Belichick won six Super Bowls as head coach. Still, there is no love left for the organization in Foxborough—or at least, that’s how it seems.
“Bill Belichick hasn’t been very accommodating to NFL scouts. And I was told by multiple people, that he has banned the New England Patriots,” John Middlekauff said on the 3 and Out podcast.
Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Ironically, the Patriots’ starting quarterback and messiah, Drake Maye, is a product of UNC, so it’s interesting to see the school close the doors on the organization that is now looking after its alumni. Moreover, Belichick makes $10 million a year in North Carolina. Needless to say, the school isn’t exactly thrilled to see him use his position to execute personal vendettas.
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Send a message
If the reports are indeed true, and North Carolina has shut the doors for Patriots’ scout team to attend practices and get information on its talents, then Belichick is undoubtedly making a statement to the Kraft family and the brass in Foxboro. However, Middlekauff believes it’s not the best look on the head coach.
“To ban the Patriots is like an ‘F— you’ to Robert Kraft. Guess what Kraft’s not doing? He’s not ever making a school call in his life,” Middlekauff commented. “He’s never going to any of these universities. It’s just some random guy going to the school.”
Rough start
From the get-go, Belichick’s time in Chapel Hill has been marred by off-the-field controversies. From Jordon Hudson’s loud presence on campus to the speculation surrounding Belichick’s buyout clause, it always felt like once the college football season started it would all tone down.
However, that wasn’t the case. If anything, the crushing home loss to TCU brought even more attention to the state of affairs at UNC. To add fuel to the fire, Hudson was seen on the field talking with Belichick just minutes before kickoff.
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It just feels like drama never stops pouring out of the tap, and the sink is already overflowing. Unless the Tar Heels bounce back this NCAA season, it could be a nightmare year for Belichick. Chapel Hill could turn into ‘Chapel Hell‘ in the blink of an eye for the new head coach.
