Graphic via Liam McGuire
By Ben Axelrod on

Despite North Carolina falling to 2-3 following a 38-10 blowout loss to Clemson on Saturday, Bill Belichick received some much-needed recruiting material on Sunday night thanks to Drake Maye’s breakout performance in the New England Patriots’ victory over the Buffalo Bills in primetime.

And while it took longer than expected for the Tar Heels to use it, they finally did so, with a Monday morning post on X showcasing one of Maye’s highlights.

The timing of the post doesn’t seem like a coincidence, as it came nearly two hours after 247Sports’ Ross Martin reported that Belichick had forbidden his program from posting about his former team, despite its second-year quarterback being one of the NFL’s emerging stars. Martin’s report resulted in multiple stories and social media posts being written about the alleged ban, as well as a possible subtweet from Belichick’s predecessor in Chapel Hill, Mack Brown.

At the time of Martin’s report, the North Carolina football program’s official X account was devoid of any Maye-related content regarding his 22-30, 273-yard performance on Sunday night. The Tar Heels’ social media feed did, however, posts about the two touchdowns that ex-Tar Heels running back Javonte Williams scored for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, both of which were made in a much more timely fashion than the one about Maye.

This wouldn’t have been the first time that Belichick’s apparent issues with his former employer would have seemingly interfered with his first season as a college head coach. Last month, the 6-time Super Bowl champion head coach confirmed that he had banned Patriots scouts from the North Carolina football complex, stating that he did so because he isn’t currently welcomed in New England’s facility.

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel subsequently denied the claim, noting that his former head coach had attended a celebration for Tom Brady in New England a year prior. Add it all up and there still seems to be plenty of bad blood stemming from Belichick’s departure from New England following the 2023 season, including disputes over whether he was fired or if the two sides mutually parted ways.

But regardless of how the 73-year-old head coach might feel about his former franchise, it would have been foolish for North Carolina to not use Maye’s recent emergence for recruiting purposes. And whether the post was merely delayed for an unspecified reason or this was an instance of the program reacting to yet another round of bad press, the Tar Heels ultimately agreed.

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

View all posts by Ben Axelrod