North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick confirmed reports that New England Patriots staff members were barred from the football program.
Belichick was the head coach of the Patriots for 24 seasons, winning six Super Bowls. However, they missed the playoffs in each of the final three years of his tenure after Tom Brady signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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However, multiple reports indicated that North Carolina’s general manager Michael Lombardi and pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain informed their own team last month that the scouts were banned.
Belichick addressed the situation after he picked up the first collegiate win of his career.
“It’s clear I’m not welcome there around their facility,” he told reporters, via the Tar Heel Tribune. “So, they’re not welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple.”
It’s unclear what transpired over the last few weeks that led to some apparent bad blood between Belichick and the Patriots’ organization. Belichick and the Patriots split after the 2023 season with both calling the decision amicable.
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Patriots team owner Robert Kraft said earlier in the week that Belichick would be getting his own statue in front of Gillette Stadium.
“When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching. When Bill’s coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy,” Kraft told CBS News.
Current Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel made a crack about Belichick and North Carolina losing to TCU in a blowout during the first full week of the college football season. He said he was unsure how quick Belichick would be able to win, noting that Urban Meyer won his first 12 games when he took over at Ohio State.
For now, Tar Heels and Patriots personnel will have to focus on their own teams.
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