Reporter floats interesting theory on why Bill Belichick took UNC interview
Jan 31, 2018; Bloomington, MN, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick during a press conference at the Mall of America in advance of Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Belichick stunned the sports world this week when he interviewed for the North Carolina head coach job, and one longtime reporter wonders if the legendary coach could be trying to send a message to NFL teams.
The Tar Heels are searching for a new head coach after they fired Mack Brown. Belichick was one of the candidates who interviewed for the job this week. Brett McMurphy of Action Network discussed the situation during a Thursday appearance on the “You Better You Bet” podcast with Nick Kostos, and the reporter floated an interesting theory.
McMurphy believes Belichick took the UNC interview because the 72-year-old is serious about getting back into coaching. The thought is that Belichick might be looking to show NFL teams he is willing to take a college job if need be.
“I think it shows that he’s tired of doing the ‘ManningCast’ and not being involved in football,” McMurphy said, via Reice Shipley of Awful Announcing. “And yeah, I think he wants to do this. Maybe this is to give him a little more leverage with some NFL teams. Like look, if you guys are gonna keep screwing around, I’m gonna go take a college job.”
McMurphy added that he does not think Belichick would interview for a job unless he had legitimate interest. Though, UNC would probably be nothing more than a backup plan for the six-time Super Bowl champion.
Bill Belichick North Carolina?@Brett_McMurphy gives @TheKostos & @YouBetterYouBet the inside scoop on how the legendary head coach interviewed for UNC. pic.twitter.com/3NFWvsjoYX
— You Better You Bet (@YouBetterYouBet) December 5, 2024
Belichick has 333 wins in his head coaching career (including postseason). That ranks second all time behind Don Shula’s 347. If Belichick does return to coaching, he will almost certainly want to pursue Shula’s record and try to become the winningest NFL coach of all time.
Though very few people believe Belichick is going to land at North Carolina, we have also heard of another reason why a college job might appeal to him.