Screen grab: ‘The Pat McAfee Show’
By Ben Axelrod on

In the year since he was first fired by the New England Patriots, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding Bill Belichick’s career decisions.

But when it comes to outlets covering the eight-time Super Bowl champion-turned-North Carolina head coach, Belichick says there’s one outlet to take with a grain of salt.

“We’re all set. We’re full speed ahead,” Belichick said of his duties as the Tar Heels’ head coach during Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show. “Pro Football Talk’s not a good source for me.”

Belichick’s swipe at Mike Florio’s website is especially, as McAfee hadn’t even mentioned Pro Football Talk in the question that led to the 72-year-old’s answer. Rather, McAfee’s prompt referenced the concerns about the curiously slow nature in which Belichick had been hiring assistant coaches since first being named the Tar Heels’ head coach last December, which when coupled with the fact he hadn’t signed his actual contract in Chapel Hill led some to wonder whether the former Patriots head coach was eyeing a potential return to the NFL.

Florio certainly helped fuel such speculation, although he was far from the only one. But for whatever reason — whether it’s PFT’s reach or a predisposed disdain for Florio — the website’s coverage of the matter clearly struck a nerve with one of the staff members that Belichick has actually already hired, as UNC general manager Mike Lombardi took to X to dispel the report in a poorly spelled post.

While Florio’s willingness to connect the dots himself on certain stories has led some to accuse him of writing “fan fiction,” that’s not what happened here. Ultimately, it was/is strange that Belichick has been so slow to hire his staff at North Carolina (especially during the recruiting calendar), with the fact that he hadn’t signed his actual contract until earlier this week only adding to the intrigue.

Belichick clearly enjoyed his jab at Pro Football Talk, as did McAfee, who let out an audible laugh. But despite whatever past criticisms of the website exist, the reality is that Florio wasn’t connecting dots so much as he was stating/reporting the obvious based on the unusual circumstances of Belichick’s first month in Chapel Hill.

In any event, Florio appears to be taking the sideswipe in stride.

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.

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