During the first two weeks of his tenure at the University of North Carolina, Bill Belichick received less-than-stellar reviews from the majority of fans and media members. On Wednesday, ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum shared a harsh assessment of Belichick’s time in Chapel Hill, with a few personal insults to boot.
On-field results have been mixed for Belichick thus far, losing to TCU in an embarrassing fashion in his UNC debut before bouncing back in Week 2 with a dominant yet unexceptional 20-3 win over Charlotte. However, it is perhaps the off-field controversies, which have been present since the moment Belichick accepted the job at UNC, that are an even bigger hit to his public image.
The situation with his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, has been well documented in the months leading up to the season. Additionally, Belichick made waves when he barred scouts from the New England Patriots from attending UNC home games, which many viewed as a petty and unnecessary move that only served to hurt his current players.
It’s hard to be overly impressed with what Belichick has done at UNC thus far. Paul Finebaum certainly wasn’t, describing his tenure in Chapel Hill as “laughable” during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday.
“Fairly laughable,” said Finebaum when asked to assess Belichick’s first two games at North Carolina. “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 will ever have at North Carolina. The second game meant nothing. I mean, they are playing at Charlotte, not exactly the bastion of college football. I think he will struggle. I think his comments make it even more difficult (to like him).
“I guess maybe because you are 73 years old. But to say what he did about locking the Patriots out, it’s just downright stupid.
“And by the way, we both saw the first game against TCU. Did you see a single prospect on his team that anyone would want to come visit? I didn’t. But in deference to your players, you can’t say that. You want to open the doors. But Bill Belichick has always been a petty, small-minded man. But when you win six Super Bowls and you are an assistant on two other ones, you can get away with that.”
“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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— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 10, 2025
Ultimately, winning will quiet all of the doubters. So if Belichick can right the ship on the field, most of the off-field concerns will likely die down as well.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.