Univ. of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick has “constructed a program in his image” in his first few months on the job, according to Brian Murphy of Raleigh-based WRAL-TV. There were “no numbers on the jerseys for any player throughout spring or in Saturday’s final practice.” There were “no player interviews” and “no assistant coach interviews throughout spring or after Saturday’s final practice.” Belichick “spoke to the media near the beginning of spring practice ... and not again.” This is “not, definitively, the best way to boost fan engagement.” UNC is “going to have to hope the well produced social media videos and the Super Bowl rings and the promise of more wins under Belichick sell the program” because the $10M per year coach “isn’t in that business” (WRAL.com, 4/12).
DROPPING BAGS: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock wrote there is “money to spend” at UNC, and it is “being spent.” Belichick is “looting Chapel Hill like Halliburton looted Baghdad.” But that is “not a criticism,” as he “hasn’t done anything wrong.” Belichick is “only doing what North Carolina wanted.” The school “wanted to give him all this money, so he’s sharing it with people he knows and loves.” Belichick “spotted the sucker the moment he sat down at the table, trustees so desperate for football success they’d give him anything he wanted.” They promised Belichick $10M for his staff and $5.3M for GM Michael Lombardi’s staff, and he is “spending it.” In addition to assistant coaches, there are “at least eight people making a total of more” than $1.4M in Lombardi’s “‘front office’ who self-identify as UNC employees on social media or have been linked in media reports but only appear in university salary databases and not on UNC’s website or staff directory” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 4/14).
