The first collegiate football season under Bill Belichick has been quite the experience. In Week 2, his UNC Tar Heels defeated Charlotte after being thoroughly thrashed by TCU in Week 1. However, Belichick’s postgame remarks, in which he reaffirmed his decision to refuse New England Patriots scouts access to club facilities because he is no longer welcome in Foxborough, have nearly eclipsed that victory.
Although it was anticipated that Belichick’s first season in the NCAA would be entertaining, few anticipated it to be this crazy. This has made the veteran coach vulnerable to criticism that goes beyond his team’s on-field performance.
On the Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, college football media guru Paul Finebaum criticized Belichick, calling the head coach “petty and small-minded” before denouncing his Patriots ban as “downright stupid.”
“I want to be a fan of Bill Belichick but he makes it impossible.”@finebaum shares his thoughts on Bill Belichick’s first two games as head coach of North Carolina 👀
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Finebaum said to Eisen: “I want to be a fan of Bill Belichick but he makes it impossible,”. “The first game was just an absolute and total disaster, on the biggest stage he probably— not probably, will ever have at North Carolina. The second game meant nothing. I mean they’re playing at Charlotte. Not exactly the bastion of college football.
“I think he’ll struggle. I think his comments this week make it even more difficult. Why do you have to continue to be Bill Belichick? I guess maybe because you’re 73 years old. But to say what he did about locking the Patriots out, it’s just downright stupid… In deference to your players, you can’t say that. You want to open the door. But Bill Belichick has always been a petty, small-minded man.”
The ESPN personality used harsh language. Chapel Hill is in for a long season. There will still be a lot of attention on the Tar Heels, even if the lopsided loss to TCU was any sign that Belichick’s team isn’t prepared to play against elite opponents.
