When Bill Belichick took the UNC job, he did so with a set of preconditions and clear motivations. He wanted a low buyout in case the NFL came calling, as he stands 25 wins short of the most wins in NFL history. UNC accepted. He wanted his two sons on the staff. UNC accepted. He wanted his best friend, Michael Lombardi, to be his general manager. UNC accepted. He wanted his partner, Jordon Hudson, to be integrally involved in his media matters. UNC accepted. Whatever Bill wanted, he got.
18 months
later, the dynamic has changed dramatically. The NFL didn’t come calling last season despite 10 vacancies, nearly a third of the league. That ship clearly has sailed after Belichick spent an unemployed year trashing his former boss and then stumbled to a disaster on and off the field in the college game. Belichick jumped into college coaching as a way to return to the NFL, and now that motivation is gone.
Jordon’s abrasiveness and need for attention created distractions for Belichick and UNC that turned what should have been his coaching honeymoon period into a shrill circus act. Belichick and UNC seem to have quietly reached some sort of accord on that front, sidelining Jordon relative to any official UNC media matters and bringing in established PR people like Brandon Faber to clean up the mess on aisle nine. In the wake of that drama, Pablo Torre got hold of some information Jordon seems convinced came from someone inside UNC. She’s now filing FOIA paperwork left and right with UNC hoping to find some sort of smoking gun.
And then last week, UNC announced Michael Lombardi was under investigation for an HR incident. The announcement unleashed a torrent of condemnation for Lombardi’s performance as GM, independent of the HR matter entirely. It quickly became apparent Lombardi was likely damaged beyond repair in his role at the highest paid GM in college sports. Lombardi then hired attorney Tom Mars, who doesn’t practice law in North Carolina and isn’t an expert on employment law. Mars specializes in megaphone pot stirring, embarrassing targets into favorable settlements.
So, the NFL isn’t happening. Bill’s two biggest confidants are at legal war with his employer. What’s left?
Maybe in a disastrous 4-8 year, Belichick discovered he loves coaching college football. Maybe working with his sons makes it all worth it. Maybe sheer pride woke up some of the old coaching fire, a determination to show the world he’s still a great coach.
Or maybe most of the reasons he took this job in the first place no longer really apply.
So, setting aside whether or not losses force UNC’s hand, do you think Bill lasts the season? Why or why not? What last straw might make him say, “To hell with this?”
