Bill Belichick isn’t letting his former employer scout his current players.
The North Carolina coach confirmed Saturday night that he has banned the New England Patriots – the NFL team he coached from 2000-23 – from attending UNC practices.
“It’s clear that I’m not welcome there around their facility, so they’re not welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple,” Belichick said.
Bill Belichick responded to a question about reports that UNC had banned New England Patriots' staff from accessing the Tar Heel program. pic.twitter.com/LjTSlZPbZM
— ESPN (@espn) September 7, 2025
The unusually candid comment from the notoriously tight-lipped Belichick made it clear that bad blood remains between Belichick and the Patriots after they unceremoniously parted ways following the 2023 season. Even though Belichick and the Patriots won six Super Bowls together – and the Patriots are now coached by one of his former players, Mike Vrabel – Belichick seemingly doesn’t want the Patriots to draft his players.
While the Patriots are the only team banned from attending UNC practices, Belichick’s program has reportedly been unusually restrictive with access for all NFL teams. According to an ESPN report this past week, NFL scouts are only allowed to talk to Frantzy Jourdain, the Tar Heels’ pro liaison and assistant director of player personnel, and have “zero access to coaches or other personnel people." Scouts are also only allowed to watch three periods of practice at UNC, whereas many schools allow scouts to watch full practices.
“Can't think of another school with a statement of ‘zero access,’” one scout told ESPN.
The restrictive policies fit with Belichick’s history of limiting behind-the-scenes access to his program, but it could adversely affect North Carolina players’ chances of getting drafted – especially considering Belichick’s first UNC roster does not include many players viewed as sure-fire NFL prospects. Zero North Carolina players are currently ranked among the top 300 prospects in NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board for 2026.
On the field, North Carolina bounced back from its miserable season-opening 48-14 loss to TCU in Week 1 by earning a 20-3 win over Charlotte on Sunday.
