UNC backs Belichick as talk swirls amid 2-3 start

The Bill Belichick experimentation astatine North Carolina is disconnected to a disastrous start, but nary 1 appears acceptable to propulsion the plug conscionable yet.

Amid galore reports that Belichick and North Carolina were engaged successful negotiations to little the coach's buyout aft a dismal commencement to his tenure successful Chapel Hill, Belichick and the schoolhouse released a associated connection Wednesday nighttime countering those claims.

"I'm afloat committed to UNC Football and the programme we're gathering here," Belichick said successful the statement.

Athletics manager Bubba Cunningham added that Belichick had "the afloat support" of the UNC administration.

Belichick's Tar Heels are disconnected to a 2-3 commencement to the season, losing each 3 of their games vs. Power Four contention by a combined 120-33, including a nonaccomplishment to Clemson successful the team's ACC opener connected Oct. 4 successful which UNC allowed touchdowns connected 2 of the Tigers' archetypal 4 plays and trailed 28-3 aft the archetypal quarter.

Since the archetypal notation of Belichick arsenic a campaigner for the UNC job, determination person been ample controversies, from Board of Trustees members reportedly making an unauthorized connection to the erstwhile Patriots manager down the athletics directors' backmost to an offseason of tabloid speculation astir Belichick's 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

But the past week has been possibly the astir chaotic, from a missive sent by wide manager Michael Lombardi to donors calling Carolina's play portion of a "rebuild," to players pushing backmost against that conception aft the Clemson loss, to the scrapping of a planned documentary connected the play to reports that Belichick had forbidden UNC's societal squad from drafting attraction to the beardown play of erstwhile Tar Heels QB Drake Maye due to the fact that helium didn't privation to beforehand his erstwhile employer, the New England Patriots.

Earlier this week, WRAL besides reported wide discontent successful the locker room, and The Athletic reporting that cornerbacks manager Armond Hawkins was being suspended for recruiting violations.

All of that preceded reports Wednesday that Belichick mightiness beryllium connected his mode retired by the extremity of the week, and the 2 sides were discussing amendable presumption to bargain retired the remainder of his declaration -- a five-year woody for which the archetypal 3 years are guaranteed astatine $10 cardinal each.

Belichick said aft the Clemson crippled that helium continues to speech with recruits and merchantability them connected the aboriginal of the program. He besides declined to suggest superior changes were indispensable for the existent squad to close the ship.

"The main happening we request to bash is to support doing what we're doing but bash them better," Belichick said. "Fundamentally, we're not doing the incorrect things, we're conscionable not doing them good enough."

The Tar Heels are acceptable to question to Cal for their archetypal roadworthy ACC crippled connected Oct. 17.