SB Nation • 6 min read

Bill Belichick, UNC Appear To Be In A Death Loop

When Bill Belichick took the UNC job, the expectations were obviously very high. However, things haven’t really worked out the way people thought they might.

There were a number of people who expressed

concerns and for our part, we thought that Belichick’s notorious relationship with the media might not help, especially if things didn’t go well.

As it turns out, they haven’t gone well at all, to say the least and the media, which Belichick at best treated arrogantly, has struck back.

Just in the last few days, we’ve seen stories about unhappy parents, a suspended assistant coach, locker room fights and a player quitting five games into his senior year.

A former quarterback, Bryn Renner, has said this: “You just see a lack of motivation on the sideline. You see a lack of sense of urgency from coaches and players.”

The faculty is unhappy that Belichik is getting $50 million at a time of budget cuts, and student body president Adolfo Alvarez said that “[I]t’s not necessarily about how many games we’re winning or the prestige over the football program. It’s about the student-athletes who are part of our community and are part of the team and consistently get caught in the middle of crossfires when things like this happen.”

Not surprisingly, rumors about Belichick’s departure are flying, though publicly, the university and Belichick both say that they’re committed to each other.

Last weekend, UNC was embarrassed by Clemson, then 1-3, with the Tigers starting the game with a spectacular trick play.

This Saturday, the Tar Heels, now 2-3 but with wins over weaker Charlotte and Richmond teams and losses to TCU, UCF and Clemson by a combined 120-33, travels to Cal.

That’s not ideal with Duke having gone out West last weekend and dominating the Bears, 45-21. If the Tar Heels get clobbered again, the comparisons are going to be brutal.