NEED TO KNOW
- Bill Belichick's North Carolina football team lost its third game of the season on Saturday
- Belichick promised the team is "going to work through" its disappointing 2-3 start
- The loss comes amid a lawsuit over Belichick's hiring, an ongoing spat with his former New England Patriots team, as well as controversy surrounding his 24-year-old girlfriend's involvement with his new job
Bill Belichick’s disappointing first season as a college football coach hit another bump in the road Saturday, Oct. 4 as the team dropped its third game of the season with a 38-10 loss to Clemson.
Fans reportedly emptied out of the stadium before halftime, and after the final whistle, the 73-year-old former NFL coach was left making vague promises that his team would somehow turn the corner.
"We're going to work through it and work our way out of it,” Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach, told reporters during his postgame press conference. “Keep working every week to prepare for the next team and that's what we're going to do."
North Carolina’s 28-point loss left the team at 2-3, with all three losses coming by 25 points or more.
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Belichick mumbled through his postgame press conference and said he takes his “share of the responsibility” for the team’s floundering start — one that’s left media outlets beginning to pose questions about the possibility of North Carolina firing Belichick, while others are giving graces after their teams avoided hiring the lauded NFL coach this past offseason.
Belichick, who won all of his six Super Bowls as a head coach alongside quarterback Tom Brady, turned heads when he announced he was taking the job as North Carolina’s next head coach last December. “I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill,” Belichick said at the time.
Instead, Belichick’s tenure with North Carolina was immediately marred in controversy surrounding both his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, as well as his ongoing spat with his former New England Patriots team.
Hudson, who has been accused of being too involved with her boyfriend’s new job, was spotted once again on the sidelines during the team’s loss to Clemson on Saturday. And on Sunday, after former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye helped lead the Patriots to a shocking win over the undefeated Buffalo Bills, a CBS Sports reporter shared on social media that sources within North Carolina said Belichick restricted the Tar Heels’ social media accounts from celebrating its alum’s big win because of his ties to New England.
Meanwhile, a former North Carolina employee recently filed a lawsuit alleging the school illegally hired Belichick during a "closed doors" meeting last winter, adding to the list of controversies clouding the former NFL coach's first year in the NCAA.
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Despite another forgettable weekend in Chapel Hill, Belichick earned praise from Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, who noted the former NFL coach is still one of the “winningest” coaches in football history.
“Listen, they’ll get it going,” Swinney, 55, said. “I mean, he’s a great coach. They are where they are right now, and they’re trying to build it and get it going, and he’ll get them going. But I’ve got a lot of respect for him. It’s an honor to be able to compete against him today.”
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