Bill Belichick will skip North Carolina’s bowl game for simple reason

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending his hiring announcement at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels will play in Saturday’s Fenway Bowl, but do not expect to see Bill Belichick around.

Belichick is not expected to attend the Tar Heels’ game against UConn at Fenway Park, according to school officials. North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said it was simply because Belichick did not want to be a distraction for players, as he will not be coaching or playing any other role.

“He’s totally dialed into building the roster,” Cunningham said, via Pete Thamel of ESPN. “He didn’t want to go to practice or be a distraction to the kids or the coaches for the bowl game.”

Belichick hanging around North Carolina at their bowl game certainly would have been intriguing. It would have been even better for him to be doing it in Boston, not far from where he won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. It is for those exact reasons, however, that he will be staying away.

North Carolina will be coached by interim coach Freddie Kitchens for the bowl game. Kitchens has already been announced as part of Belichick’s staff for next season.

As Cunningham indicated, Belichick is likely engaged in building a roster and filling out his staff. He has already made one rather predictable hire, but there are more hires to be made and plenty of players to recruit. That is a better use of his time than taking in the team’s bowl game in person.