Bill Belichick's jump into the college ranks has been nothing short of a disaster. The latest in a string of bad headlines is news that his son, Steve Belichick, has resigned as UNC's defensive coordinator
. More accurately, he was pushed out after an investigation by the university found certain actions that "demonstrated a disregard for Carolina's values and standards of conduct," according to a statement.That news comes after Steve was placed on medical leave Aug. 6, and after Bill's longtime friend and colleague, Michael Lombardi, resigned from his position as UNC general manager on Sept. 3 as part of the same investigation. The school declined to elaborate on what happened but multiple reports said a former UNC employee filed an HR complaint
against him.
This is the culture Belichick built, ushered in under a wave of his own controversy surrounding his relationship with Jordon Hudson, who was reportedly banned from UNC facilities. On top of all that, the Tar Heels weren't good last season, going 4-8, their worst record in seven years. The program appeared better off before the eight-time Super Bowl champion arrived.
LIES: Belichick rips "flat-out lie" about girlfriend
Full UNC statement. https://t.co/CDS8Anj5rj pic.twitter.com/1uMtcu2SkB
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 17, 2026
However, as disastrous as this experiment has been, Belichick still has a chance to turn it around if we're to believe the university, which said its investigation found "these actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure." Those words let Belichick off the hook just as he's finally doing the thing they hired him to do: win games.
Even amid this season's turmoil, the Tar Heels are 2-0 entering Saturday's game at Clemson. The defense has been especially good. A win over Dabo Swinney would go a long way towards convincing people Belichick was the right hire after all. No, they won't be playing the same Clemson team that was a CFP mainstay the early part of the last decade. But it's nonetheless an ACC rival the Tar Heels haven't beaten in seven straight tries since 2010 (2-12 since 1999). It would be the signature win of Belichick's early tenure.
That would be the fastest way for the Tar Heels to put Belichick's mess behind them. The slow play is to simply reach six wins and bowl eligibility. That shouldn't be too much to ask of an all-time great. Then again, not turning UNC into a circus shouldn't have been all that hard either, and here we are.
NCAA: Western Michigan should have won
In what is hopefully the last word in deliberations over who won the Week 1 game between Michigan and Western Michigan, the NCAA oversight committee confirmed Wednesday that WMU should have been awarded the win.
Unfortunately, after referees put one second back on the clock, allowing Michigan the game-winning Hail Mary, the NCAA also said it doesn't have the authority to overturn the result. Which has to sting for WMU. Maybe they should take the NCAA to court over its flimsy rules like everybody else does.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Bill Belichick still has a chance to fix the UNC disaster he created
