New England Patriots - NESN.com
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been outspoken in the press about his desire to remain the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Despite a rocky start to his tenure in Chapel Hill, Chapel Bill has no plans to jump ship, according to his own words.
Buzz about a potential Belichick buyout (as early as this season!) started circulating in recent days, which prompted the six-time Super Bowl champion coach to openly declare his allegiance to the UNC job.
The Athletic’s Diana Russini even recently put a number on a theoretical buyout for Belichick.
“Amid a tidal wave of recent reports on the dysfunction at UNC involving head coach Bill Belichick and GM Michael Lombardi — including a report in The Athletic on the chaos and lack of familiarity with college football that critics say is hurting the program — sources in both the college game and the league say the duo has no plans to leave Chapel Hill,” Russini first clarified.
“People inside the football operation believe the criticism is intended to hurt the program. Belichick, who was on the road Friday recruiting in Olney, Md., has told those close to him that he loves coaching at the college level. More than that, he believes they’re building something meaningful at UNC, a program with staying power. Lombardi is fully on the same page.”
“However, Belichick’s NFL past continues to hover around this situation, from questions about his legacy to regular flare-ups involving the Patriots to suspicions within UNC’s program that some of the negative headlines have origins in New England,” Russini continued. “The Patriots have taken the high road, steering clear of the public sniping.”
“Belichick and Lombardi remain committed to Chapel Hill for the foreseeable future. And if the school feels otherwise, it would be costly: UNC would owe around $30 million if it wanted to buy out Belichick, Lombardi and their coaching staff.”
Belichick is in the first year of a five-year, $50 million deal.
