Sources: UNC, Belichick ban Patriots staff from program
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Rich Eisen to Stephen A.: ‘Shocking to see Belichick coach a team like that’ (1:16)
Rich Eisen shares his thoughts with Stephen A. Smith on Bill Belichick’s coaching debut with UNC. (1:16)
Kalyn KahlerSep 4, 2025, 05:21 pm and
- Kalyn Kahler is a senior NFL writer at ESPN. Kalyn reports on a range of NFL topics. She reported about the influence of coaching agents on NFL hiring and found out what current and former Cowboys players really think about the tour groups of fans that roam about The Star every day. Before joining ESPN in July of 2024, Kalyn wrote for The Athletic, Defector, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. She began her career at Sports Illustrated as NFL columnist Peter King’s assistant. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, where she was a varsity cheerleader. In her free time, Kalyn takes Spanish classes and teaches Irish dance. You can reach out to Kalyn via email.
North Carolina and first-year coach Bill Belichick have banned the New England Patriots’ staff from accessing the Tar Heels’ program, sources told ESPN.
When reached by ESPN, North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi said, “Good luck” and then hung up the phone. UNC also declined comment.
Lombardi and Tar Heels pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain informed the Patriots that they would be banned from UNC the day before one of their scouts was scheduled to visit in August, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN.
Belichick spent 24 years as the coach of the Patriots, a run that ended after the 2023 season.
Two NFL scouts who work for other teams told ESPN that North Carolina, under Belichick’s leadership, offers limited access to all NFL personnel. Clubs are allowed to speak only with Jourdain, and UNC’s college relations website says that “scouts will have zero access to coaches or other personnel people,” according to the scouts.
The term “zero access” appears three times on UNC’s college relations website, a page accessible only to NFL personnel.
One scout said NFL personnel are only able to watch three periods of practice at UNC. Each college program varies in access to NFL personnel, but the scouts said that many programs allow scouts to watch full practices.
“Can’t think of another school with a statement of ‘zero access,'” one scout told ESPN.
3 & Out’s John Middlekauff first reported the news.