Bill Belichick’s lingering feud with the Patriots is starting to hurt both his reputation and his current work environment

It’s a weird situation for everyone.

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick’s relationship with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is clearly damaged. And the year the coach spent away from the sidelines wasn’t enough to solve it. Now that Belichick is the head coach at North Carolina, any connection with the Patriots is off the limits.

Ross Martin, College Editor/Content Direction for 247Sports, reported that there is a directive from the staff (Belichick specifically) to not post anything Patriots-related on social media.

After the report was out there, UNC’s X profile actually shared Drake Maye’s highlights from Sunday night. It’s unclear how much it was a consequence of the report to begin with, but the timing is interesting.

Belichick’s decision is hurting UNC

Theoretically, a tension like this wouldn’t have any type of repercussion beyond the narratives and public perception. But now this is actually hindering North Carolina.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye played there, and he could and should be one of the best recruiting tools UNC has to attract top talent to the university—something it desperately needs, as evidenced by the start of its season.

However, because Belichick doesn’t want any connection with the Patriots, the team’s social channels can’t take advantage of the situation to put UNC at a better recruiting spot over the next few cycles.

Drake Maye had a great performance for the Patriots against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, completing 22/30 passes for 273 yards. New England won 23-20, improving to 3-2 this season.

Last month, Belichick had confirmed that Patriots scouts are banned at UNC. This is not exactly as damaging of a factor, but he could be limiting his players’ opportunities in terms of NFL exposure because of a personal decision.

Tough start

Bill Belichick, 73, spent 24 seasons as the head coach of the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowl championships. He had had a one-year stint with the franchise as an assistant head coach and defensive backs coach back in 1996.

So far this season, North Carolina has a 2-3 record. Belichick’s group has lost to TCU, UCF, and Clemson, and has beaten Charlotte and Richmond. The next game is at California on Oct. 17.

Now, Belichich has a losing record with the Cleveland Browns, with the Patriots without Tom Brady, and at UNC. It’s not exactly how the legendary head coach would envision his ideal situation after parting ways with Brady in 2020.