As North Carolina has stumbled to a 2-3 start under Bill Belichick, the Tar Heels find themselves worried about more than just the rest of their ACC schedule.
With the Belichick era in Chapel Hill having been a disaster on the field and an even bigger embarrassment off of it, reports have begun to emerge regarding the state of the UNC program. And according to WRAL’s Pat Welter, Belichick and his staff are now making efforts to identify the leaks that have contributed to the recent surge in negative press.
“Continuing to reach out to sources about what’s going on inside the Belichick program,” Welter wrote on X. “Some now are feeling reluctant to share new information as internally the Belichick staff is trying to find the leak. But between @wral and national reports, the ‘leak’ is far from a few people.”
Such reports include a detailed story from Welter that was published on Monday, two days after the Tar Heels’ 38-10 loss to Clemson. Titled “Divided locker room, disastrous results: Players, parents blame Belichick culture for UNC problems,” the report portrays the Tar Heels program under Belichick as a chaotic mess and paints a less-than-flattering portrait of general manager Michael Lombardi, who has previously referred to UNC as “the NFL’s 33rd team.”
“It’s an unstructured mess,” a source with first-hand knowledge of the program told Welter in the report. “There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster.”
Added an anonymous parent of a current UNC player: “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 also led to cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins being suspended for an alleged extra benefits violation, which The Athletic first reported while citing a university source. Factor in the recent reports that the program has scrapped its previously announced Hulu docuseries, and the Tar Heels have certainly generated plenty of headlines, many of which have been negative.
Unsurprisingly, it appears that the North Carolina staff is now doing its best to plug any leaks that might exist within its program. One could argue that winning is the only action that can actually slow the negative buzz building around the Tar Heels, although in their defense, they are in the midst of a bye week.
Finding those leaks, however, will likely be easier said than done. Not only is the UNC roster twice the size of the NFL teams Belichick and Lombardi are more accustomed to dealing with, but you also have to factor in that parents, boosters, and administrators all can spill the beans regarding the inner workings of the program.
As Welter noted, the Tar Heels staff can try, but actually finding all of the leaks associated with the program will likely prove to be a fool’s errand. If the NFL’s 33rd team wants more positive press, it will likely have to start with on-field results.
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.