CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick on Monday refuted reports that he was looking for a way out of the Tar Heels’ program amid the team’s poor on-field start and reporting from WRAL of a divided locker room and culture problems.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, athletics director Bubba Cunningham, athletics director-in-waiting Steve Newmark, football general manager Michael Lombardi and other university leaders were in attendance for Monday’s weekly press conference as a show of unity behind the embattled coach. Belichick thanked them in his opening remarks.
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"Some of the reports out last week about my looking for a buyout and trying to leave here and all that, it’s categorically false," Belichick said in his first public comments since the Tar Heels’ embarrassing loss to Clemson on Oct. 4.
"There is zero truth to any of that. Glad I’m here. We’re working toward our goals and the process.”
WRAL reported last week that discussion about a buyout by either side – the university or Belichick – weren’t happening.
This is not where UNC expected to be when it hired Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots, to elevate its program to national prominence.
Instead, it’s been a disastrous start. UNC is 2-3, but has been outscored 120-33 in its only games against Power 4 conference competition – all losses.
“It’s a learning curve,” Belichick said. “We’re all in it together, but we’re making a lot of progress and the process will eventually produce the results that we want to produce, like they have everywhere else I’ve been. I’m very confident in that. Players are working hard, they’re getting better, and we’re going to continue to do that and improve.”
But a bigger story is developing around the program with WRAL reporting that the locker room is fractured. Cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins is suspended for violating NCAA rules, and the school is investigating “other potential actions detrimental to the team and university.” A documentary about Belichick’s first season in college football is no longer in development at Hulu.
“I don’t know what kind of perspective some of those people have that are saying that, but I think anybody that’s around it on a daily basis would see that,” he said. “I’m sure the players all see the improvement they’re making.”
Belichick downplayed concerns about communication within the program and with recruits.
“What I can speak for is kind of what I see day in and day out and that’s guys committed to this team, committed to each other, working with each other,” said offensive lineman Christo Kelly, one of 70 new players on the roster. “The results on the field aren’t what we want and it’s tough.”
Belichick said he couldn’t comment on Hawkins’ situation, which is under review. He said the documentary is still a work in progress.
“There will be something,” he said.
The Tar Heels visit Cal on Friday night. The game will be televised on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. Eastern. Each of UNC’s three losses have been televised on major networks (ESPN or Fox). UNC will be without its top defensive player, cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, who was injured against Clemson and will miss significant time.
“Thad was certainly one of our best players, trained very hard, was one of our team captains, gave a lot of leadership to the team,” Belichick said.
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In a Monday morning radio interview, Michael Lombardi, UNC football general manager, told 97.9 The Hill, "The team is focused on Cal. Last week, there was a lot of noise outside our building, but our building has maintained [a] semblance of consistency in terms of progress and wanting to improve ... What coach and I have to do with all the noise that's around the program is block out the distractions and show the players that we have mental toughness."
