It’s been a nightmare for Bill Belichick in his first season as the University of North Carolina head football coach. The Tar Heels are 2-3, getting outscored by power conference opponents 120-33 and are coming off a 38-10 humiliation at the hands of ACC rival Clemson in Chapel Hill. There’s also been the distraction of the 73-year-old’s relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson.
The struggles have ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum warning that Belichick — who guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories — could go down as the “worst coach in college football history.”
“Here’s what I can’t get over. We’re talking about Bill Belichick, who is the greatest NFL coach in history. Right now, he’s working toward being the worst coach in college football history. That’s how bad he is,” Finebaum said.
Finebaum said that Belichick’s tenure has been an “abject disaster” so far, adding that the program has no hope.
“I feel badly for the guy because it seemed like a good idea at the time. But right now, I mean who in their right mind would want to go play for him?” he said.
Players and Parents Call Environment ‘Toxic’
Belichick took over the program after Mack Brown was fired last November. Belichick and UNC general manager Michael Lombardi brought in 70 new players, but it has yet to result in any success.
Finebaum’s comments come as a damning new report from WRAL-TV reveals players and their parents are blaming Belichick for the toxicity surrounding the program.
“It’s an unstructured mess,” a source with firsthand knowledge of the program told WRAL. “There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster.”
A parent of a UNC player added: “It’s all starting at the top, and the boys are being affected. I don’t fault the players; I fault the leadership that created this toxic environment. There’s an individualistic mindset. The boys are young, and they are feeding into it.”
The report claims that Belichick’s son, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, rarely talks to his players.
“He has not talked or had a conversation with most of the guys on defense,” a source told WRAL. “They don’t even have his number.”
The Tar Heels have a bye this week before facing California on the road Friday, Oct. 17. They still have plenty of time to turn it around, but it’s hard to imagine with a UNC offense that ranks 128th out of 136 FBS teams.
