Bill Belichick’s first season at North Carolina ended with a 42-19 loss to N.C. State, dropping the Tar Heels to 4-8. After the game, Belichick seemed to be a little salty, even in comparison to his usual press conference demeanor.
Here’s the full session, all four minutes of it.
The first question focused on whether there were any common themes from three straight losses to end the season. Belichick’s response was brief and unintelligible.
Later, Belichick was asked about the things that made his first season at UNC a challenge.
“We’ll take a look at the season later,” Belichick said. “Just finished with the game ten minutes ago, so.”
Later, a simple and fair question: “What did this season teach you, Coach?”
“Yeah, we just got done with the game, OK?” Belichick said. “So . . . yeah, so we’re not gonna do a season recap. I’m just finished with the game here. We’ll do a season recap when we get done, you know, alright? I mean, sorry.”
The same concept came up again.
“I mean, look, the season just ended a few minutes ago, and so now we’re gonna move into the offseason,” Belichick said. “That’s what we’re gonna do.”
One reporter tried to explain to Belichick that they won’t have access to him moving forward, and that they’re simply asking about the plan moving forward. Belichick still wasn’t having any of it.
The dismissive attitude works when a coach is winning. When a coach is struggling, it has a much different feel. As I’ve said time and again about Belichick, if he wants to avoid answering fair and reasonable questions from reporters on a regular basis, he should go coach high-school lacrosse — and be compensated accordingly.
He works for a public institution now. He makes $10 million per year from that university. He’s the primary face and voice of the football program. Short, chippy, and argumentative answers become an even worse look when he’s working for a school that is funded by the people and that ultimately belongs to them.
The practical impact is that, as Belichick moves forward to his second season, the same reporters he has stonewalled will be the ones shaping the narratives around the program. And, quite possibly, making the case for Belichick to be fired after a second bad season, if 2026 is a repeat of 2025.
Bill Belichick’s first season as a college football coach started with a thud. It ended with one, too.
North Carolina lost on Saturday night to N.C. State, 42-19. The outcome leaves Belichick with a 4-8 record with the Tar Heels.
Belichick has previously reiterated his commitment to returning to UNC in 2026. The apparent lack of NFL interest simplifies the decision.
Some think one or more pro franchises will explore hiring Belichick, who can leave at any time for a buyout of only $1 million. However, he has received only one interview during two hiring cycles since the Patriots fired him after the 2023 season.
The 73-year-old Belichick took the UNC job last December, apparently due in part to the unwillingness of any NFL team(s) with a current or expected vacancy to indicate that he’d be hired. This time around, he’s available to be discreetly interviewed. If anyone chooses to interview him.
If no one does, Belichick can once again declare that he’s not leaving. And G.M. Mike Lombardi can once again claim how much better college football is than the NFL.
Jordon Hudson, the 24-year-old girlfriend of 73-year-old North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, recently said she’s suing Pablo Torre. Earlier this week, Belichick was asked about the development.
“How much of those distractions seeped out into the team?” a reporter said. “How much time do they take from what you’re trying to accomplish? And is there a way to in your mind kind of try to eliminate some of that drama?”
“Yeah, I’m just focused on the game,” Belichick said, referring to the season finale against N.C. State. “That’s what our team’s focused on.”
It’s hard to imagine that the situation hasn’t trickled into the locker room, at some level. With all those players, one of them surely saw something about the looming (supposedly) lawsuit — or about the social-media skirmish that followed between Hudson and Torre.
If Hudson is getting good legal advice, and if she’s following it, she’d be saying nothing about the situation. Her willingness to try to prove via Twitter that Torre made “MANY inaccurate and materially defamatory” statements (if she thinks what she posted is some sort of smoking gun, good luck in court) reveals to the trained eye a significant degree of naivete regarding how the litigation world works.
It makes her potential case seem, in my opinion, unserious. It makes her seem, in my opinion, unserious. It makes the whole thing look like, in my opinion, a way for her to remain relevant after the UNC football season ends in two days.
It also reflects poorly, in my opinion, on Belichick. If, as many believe, he still wants to get back to the NFL, this kind of stuff won’t make him any more attractive to owners than he otherwise is.
That currently seems to fall somewhere between “not very” and “not at all.”
Yeah, sure. It only takes one team. And yeah, sure, there are more than a few dysfunctional NFL teams. It’s hard to imagine even the most dysfunctional team welcoming Belichick to town — and trying to sell him to the media and fan base — after the cumulative events and developments of the past 12 months.
Should he be elected without hesitation to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the coming weeks? Definitely. Have the accomplishments that make Belichick worthy of a no-debate, first-ballot enshrinement been obscured by a variety of other factors since he last won a Super Bowl seven years ago?
Absolutely.
Jordon Hudson, the 24-year-old girlfriend of 73-year-old future Hall of Fame NFL coach (and current North Carolina coach) Bill Belichick clearly loves attention. If she follows through on her latest claim, she’ll be getting far more attention that she ever could have bargained for.
Hudson posted on Instagram that she’s suing Pablo Torre, the podcasting journalist (or journalisting podcaster) who has devoted multiple episodes to the Belichick-Hudson relationship.
Based on the photo accompanying her “I’m suing you @pablotorre” message, she apparently will focus any legal claims (if any legal claims are made) on Torre’s contention from May 2025 that she was “banned” from the North Carolina football facility.
Setting aside the question of whether “banned” meant “she’s no longer allowed to work at a place she was never employed in the first place” or “they’re barricading the doors and calling security if she shows up,” a potential defamation claim would include an important hurdle, while also potentially opening Pandora’s box.
Hudson has become a public figure. The “actual malice” standard would apply. When a public figure has allegedly been defamed, it’s not enough for the statement to be false. The public-figure plaintiff must show that the party making the statement knew it was false or acted with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity of the claim.
Beyond that, the discovery process would be rigorous — and potentially entertaining. The harm caused by defamation is determined largely by assessing the impact of the false statement on the plaintiff’s reputation. This requires determining the plaintiff’s reputation before the false statement was made. Which opens the door to all sorts of questions and other inquiries that the plaintiff may regard as irrelevant, annoying, and otherwise unfortunate consequences of pulling the pin on the litigation grenade.
Once upon a time (a long time ago), I practiced law. Even in non-defamation cases, I said to potential clients, “Think about the one thing about yourself that you wouldn’t want others to know. If you go forward with this case, you need to assume many others will find out about it.”
Before Hudson sues Torre (or anyone, for that matter), someone with a law degree and experience practicing law needs to explain that to her. She’ll be inviting a degree of scrutiny that will make the various New York Post articles look like puff pieces in the preschool newspaper.
It also would likely entail a sworn, multi-hour (and possibly multi-day) deposition of Belichick, who would not be able to grumble his way around answering questions he doesn’t want to answer.
So, no, it would be a bad idea to sue Torre. From the perspective of someone who runs a media company, it would be very good for business.
We’ve tried in recent weeks to ignore much of the noise surrounding North Carolina coach Bill Belichick, especially when its comes to his personal life. (Even though he has deliberately intermingled his personal life with his professional life.)
We didn’t post about Belichick’s disrespectful (even by his usual standards) post-game diss of Wake Forest coach Jeff Dickert. We didn’t post about former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel calling Belichick a “hypocrite” for allowing himself to become a distraction to his team. We took a pass on this week’s Onion-esque account of Belichick showing up as a spectator at his girlfriend’s adult cheer competition. (Did anyone even know adult cheer competitions were a thing?)
The New York Post ignored none of those. The New York Post has been relentless in its coverage of Belichick and Jordon Hudson. And while the Post is far from alone (for example, VICE TV announced this week a two-hour deep dive into the duo, which will debut next month), the New York Post has been at the leading edge of all things Belichick and Hudson.
On Friday, for instance, the New York Post reported (as an “exclusive”) that Belichick’s daughter-in-law “unleashed a nearly hour-long profanity-laced tirade” two weeks ago against Hudson, in Belichick’s office after the Tar Heels beat Stanford. Jen Belichick, the wife of defensive coordinator (and Bill’s son) Steve Belichick, reportedly said (among other things) that all Hudson “does is control shit.” Jen Belichick also reportedly called Hudson “batshit crazy,” and Jen Belichick reportedly accused Hudson of “fucking twisting” Bill’s brain.
Here’s the point, as someone in a position to understand the dynamics explained it to PFT a week ago. The ongoing coverage of Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson by the New York Post is one of the many reasons for the Giants’ complete lack of interest in the possibility of hiring Bill Belichick to coach the team. While the Giants hiring Belichick likely wouldn’t have happened anyway, the Giants have no interest in hiring a coach who has become a lightning rod for relentless coverage due to his relationship with Hudson.
Some will continue to insist that nothing related to Belichick and Hudson is worthy of coverage, especially since Belichick isn’t (and probably will never be) an NFL coach again. But everything about this situation is unprecedented. One of the greatest coaches of all times obliterated the lines between business and personal, and the person with whom the lines has been blurred has been, by all appearances, attempting to parlay the situation into a vehicle for advancing her own short- and long-term professional objectives, whatever they may be.
Starting with the reports regarding her role in derailing the Hard Knocks series and culminating in the disastrous CBS interview from early May, a pot that had been simmering for months (we heard as early as October 2024 murmurs of Hudson asserting herself aggressively within the offices of NFL Films) went straight to a boil that has been continuing to bubble over. Beyond every other factor that would make any NFL team disinclined to consider hiring Belichick, the Hudson angle clinches it.
Especially for a team in the market the New York Post primarily serves.
On Friday night, North Carolina coach Bill Belichick capped his statement regarding a lack of interest in a level of football this is no longer interested in him by saying, “We’re onto Wake Forest.”
Wake Forest was ready. The Demon Deacons beat the Tar Heels on Saturday, 28-12.
The home team’s first touchdown came on a fumble recovery by the offense that became a scrum that became a 51-yard run to the end zone by receiver Carlos Hernandez.
The closest the game got was 14-9 in the third quarter. Ultimately, Wake Forest scored four touchdowns, and North Carolina scored four field goals. (Two other attempts were blocked.)
“Just not good enough in any area,” Belichick told reporters after the game. “We’re a better team than we were tonight.”
What they are is 4-6. With two games left, they need to win both to become bowl eligible. They finish with games against 5-5 Duke and 5-5 N.C. State. Win both, and North Carolina will be eligible to extend its season by one game.
North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said he isn’t pursuing any jobs as a head coach in the NFL.
In a statement posted on social media Friday night and coming amid the first changes of the current hiring cycle, the 73-year-old who led the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles said he remains committed to building a program as a first-time college coach.
“Since arriving in Chapel Hill,” Belichick said, “my commitment to the UNC football program hasn’t (wavered).”
The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans have coaching vacancies, notably with the Giants firing Brian Daboll earlier this week. Belichick was part of two Super Bowl titles with the Giants as defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells.
Belichick, who shrugged off coaching rumors Tuesday after Daboll’s firing, specifically mentioned the Giants in Friday’s statement.
“It was a privilege for me to work for the Mara family and be a member of Coach Parcells’ staff for over a decade,” Belichick said. “However, despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies.”
Belichick’s Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won two straight games to inch closer to bowl eligibility, notably with a better defensive showing that has included racking up sacks.
UNC visits Wake Forest on Saturday, the first of three straight in-state ACC foes to end the regular-season schedule.
“My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud,” Belichick said. “We’re on to Wake Forest.”
On Monday, the Giants fired coach Brian Daboll. On Tuesday, North Carolina coach Bill Belichick didn’t conclusively slam the door on the possibility of pursuing the job.
On Friday night, Belichick issued a statement conveying a far more clear message.
“I have great respect and genuinely care for the New York Giants organization and both the Mara and Tisch families,” Belichick said in a statement released by the program. “The New York Giants played an important role in my life and in my coaching journey. It was a privilege for me to work for the Mara family and be a member of Coach Parcells’ staff for over a decade. However, despite circulating rumors, I have not and will not pursue any NFL head coaching vacancies.
“Since arriving in Chapel Hill, my commitment to the UNC Football program has not wavered. We have tremendous support from the university, our alumni, and the entire Carolina community. My focus remains solely on continuing to improve this team, develop our players, and build a program that makes Tar Heel fans proud. . . . We’re on to Wake Forest.”
Belichick said he was on to Wake Forest three days ago. But he didn’t say he wouldn’t take the Giants’ position, or any other NFL job. And the buyout term of his contract says it all. He can leave whenever he wants for the NFL, in exchange for the mere payment of $1 million — which is pressed peanut sweepings for any NFL owner.
So what happened in the past three days? It would be incredibly foolish and naive to think he didn’t explore through back channels whether it could happen. And if he learned that it wasn’t in the cards, it becomes easy for him to take the high road and say he doesn’t want a job that doesn’t want him.
There were no “circulating rumors” about Belichick taking the Giants’ job, just speculation. Maybe he felt like he needed to issue the statement because the talk of Belichick leaving was being used against him by programs pursuing the same recruits, whether from high school or the transfer portal.
Regardless, Belichick is out. Never mind the very real possibility that he never would have been in.
Bill Belichick won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Giants, four years apart. He also lost a pair of Super Bowl rings to the Giants, four years apart. Now, with the Giants’ head-coaching job open and Belichick available for the couch-cushion buyout of $1 million, could Belichick return to New York?
When he was asked about the possibility on Tuesday, Belichick didn’t rule it out. And while it appears that the NFL collectively has ruled him out, it only takes one team to rule him in.
As Chris Simms pointed out during Wednesday’s PFT Live, Belichick has influence over someone in the organization. He’s believed to have been instrumental in the team’s decision to hire Joe Judge in 2020. And Belichick had early notice that the team would be hiring Brian Daboll in 2022, given that he accidentally texted congratulations to another “Brian” in his phone’s contact list.
The challenge becomes getting G.M. Joe Schoen (who’s running the search) on board with the possibility of a Big Blue Belichick reunion. Falcons owner Arthur Blank ultimately didn’t hire Belichick in 2024 after, it’s believed, an internal uprising sparked by concerns that Belichick would neutralize (if not eliminate) much of the front office.
If Belichick has been sufficiently humbled by his post-Patriots NFL snubs to embrace being the coach and only the coach, could it work?
Belichick is regarded by many as the best game-day coach in NFL history, able to whip up a game plan that will allow his specific collection of players to beat the opponent’s specific collection of players, regardless of who the opponent may be. If guardrails can be put in place to keep Belichick from throwing his weight around (and from bringing his consigliere and his creative muse along with him), maybe it could work.
The biggest red flag, frankly, is the 2022 decision by Belichick to put defensive specialist Matt Patricia in charge of the offense. As we said at the time, if any other coach had done that, the widespread reaction would have been to question the head coach’s fitness and/or sanity.
Then there’s the NFL’s dirty little secret of age discrimination. Teams routinely skew young at key positions, with notable exceptions (such as the Raiders hiring Pete Carroll in January 2025). Will the Giants think Belichick, who turns 74 in April, is too old for the job?
Still, if he’s going to coach any NFL team, the most likely team would be the Giants. As Simms speculated on Wednesday, Belichick may have spent plenty of time on Monday and Tuesday working the phones for an opportunity to return to the Giants’ organization.
Given the presence of a potential franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, maybe Belichick could improve on his 84-104 record in games played without Tom Brady.
As long as Belichick doesn’t make a defensive coach Dart’s primary tutor.
North Carolina linebacker Tyler Thompson has a simple explanation of how he keeps getting to the quarterback.
“Really just effort and violence, bro,” he said after tallying seven sacks in four games. “Like, if you really want it, you’ll get it.”
These days, he could be speaking for the Tar Heels’ entire defensive front.
UNC’s pass rush has been an obvious sign of growth in the NFL coaching icon Bill Belichick’s first college season. It’s coincided with the Tar Heels regrouping from a debacle of an opening month to win two straight and inch within reach of bowl eligibility, with a trip to Wake Forest starting a three-game stretch against in-state Atlantic Coast Conference opponents.
Belichick, who led the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, has pointed to multiple factors. Those range from being in closer games that require opponents to throw more to overall improvement throughout the defense.
“Let me just say sacks are a function of team defense,” Belichick said. “And if the receivers are open and the quarterback throws the ball, I don’t care how fast you get there — you’re not going to get there. ... So when your team defense is good, then all those things fall into place.”
The Tar Heels (4-5, 2-3 ACC) have racked up a national-best 20 sacks in the last four weeks following an open week, according to Sportradar. In terms of per-game average, they’re tied for third in that stretch (5.0) behind No. 10 Texas and Minnesota with 18 sacks in three games (6.0).
UNC had nine sacks last week against Stanford to match the highest output in the Bowl Subdivision ranks all year, shared by five others teams. There was also a six-sack showing in an overtime loss to then-No. 16 Virginia on Oct. 25, making UNC one of 10 FBS teams to have at least two games with six-plus sacks this year, according to Sportradar.
Overall, UNC — with Belichick’s son Steve as coordinator after spending last year in that role at Washington — has 26 sacks and is ranked tied for 12th nationally at 2.9 per game.
By comparison, the Tar Heels had just six sacks through the first five games, with three coming against Richmond of the Championship Subdivision.
Belichick, who also was defensive coordinator for the New York Giants during two Super Bowl titles, compared building a pass rush to a baseball pitcher. In that regard, he said, pass rushers must develop a varied skillset and “a good two or three pitches that you can throw” while working in unison.
“Some guys are power rushers, some guys are more speed rushers and so forth,” Belichick said. “I kind of look at it like a pitcher: it’s hard to win with just one pitch, even if it’s a really good one. ... You need a curveball. You need a change-up. You need something. I think that’s the way it is with the pass rush, too.”
The recent surge has come largely behind Delaware transfer Melkart Abou Jaoude, who has eight sacks in the past three games and is one of five FBS players with at least 10 sacks this year. Thompson has four straight games with at least one sack and had three against the Cardinal.
After a win against Stanford, Belichick reflected on the first half of the schedule and said he thought he “could’ve done a better job of looking at some of our players and putting them in better position to be successful” early on.
Similarly, Thompson pointed to players needing time to get comfortable in Steve Belichick’s system.
“The back end is doing a phenomenal job locking down receivers,” Thompson said. “So that’s giving me and Melly and some of the other guys time to get back there. And just everyone doing their jobs. It’s that simple.”
