Bill Belichick’s debut as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels could not have gone much worse.
His team got blown out at home, his quarterback didn’t complete a pass for two hours, and ESPN’s broadcast ended with a literal dog taking over play-by-play.
At one point, it even seemed as though ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit might have been caught saying what he really thought of Belichick’s squad.
Coming out of a commercial at the start of the fourth quarter with TCU leading UNC 41-14, Herbstreit could be heard laughing and saying what sounded to some like “they’re bad,” before announcer Rece Davis immediately started calling the action.
We’d really like to know what Kirk Herbstreit was reacting to on this hot mic moment coming out of a commercial. pic.twitter.com/CCdAtmnSD6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 2, 2025
This went viral and immediately led to a round of aggregated articles that claimed Herbstreit had been caught on a hot mic giving North Carolina the business.
After the game, however, Herbstreit took to social media to adamantly deny that he was referring to Bill Belichick’s squad, stating that, in fact, he had been heard saying “you’re bad” to someone behind the scenes.
Said “you’re bad” to my spotter Deron for something he said as we were coming back on air. Manipulation at its finest! https://t.co/T2gudNGYQW
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 2, 2025
Must be a slow night..not sure why this is so confusing. I said “YOU’RE bad” to my spotter Deron for something funny he said when we were just coming back on air. https://t.co/qkQUwuQHeC
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) September 2, 2025
“Instead of making up things I said how bout giving Rece, Holly, and I some love for getting through that game-those games are by far the toughest games you announcers have to call,” wrote Herbstreit on X.
We think you have to take Herbie at his word on this one. We don’t believe he’d name-check his spotter just to get out of trouble. Plus, when you really listen to the clip, it does sound a lot more likely he’s saying “you’re bad” than “they’re bad.”
It was probably best to nip this potential controversy in the bud because lord knows there’s going to be a lot of discussion Tuesday about what went wrong tonight. Better that Bill Belichick bear the brunt of that.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.