UNC President Delivers Strong Message Surrounding Bill Belichick and Football Program's Future

UNC System President Peter Hans has made it clear to UNC-Chapel Hill trustees to stay out of negotiations regarding Tar Heel athletics.

This comes in the wake of UNC hiring Bill Belichick to be their next football head coach. According to a report from The Assembly's Matt Hartman, Hans sent a memo to trustees warning of “substantial legal risk” should they continue to overstep their boundaries.

Hans addressed the following to UNC-CH Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer and Chancellor Lee Roberts.

“Instances continue to occur where members of the board appear to act independently of their campus’s administration in matters squarely within the responsibility of the chancellor,” Hans said.

“[Such actions] create substantial legal risk to the University—jeopardizing the North Carolina taxpayers’ money by blurring the lines of actual and apparent authority when these athletic departments negotiate business transactions with third parties.”

The memo also mentioned that Hans would temporarily suspend parts of the delegations of authority granted to the board. Hans further noted that his sign-off would be required before contracts for UNC-CH athletic director and head coaches can be approved by trustees. He added that trustees shouldn't "play any role in the negotiation of such actions."

The report noted that Hans did not provide any specific instances of trustees overstepping their boundaries. However, the memo was released just a month after trustees approved the hiring of Belichick. It was noted that the trustees, led by Preyer, pursued Belichick as head coach outside the athletic department's established process.

Bill Belichick brings historic accolades from the NFL to UNC

NFL: Super Bowl LIX-NFL Honors Red Carpet - Source: Imagn

UNC signed Bill Belichick, who is one of the most successful coaches the NFL has ever seen. He has six Super Bowl rings won during his tenure with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2023. Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways in January of 2024.

Now, Belichick joins UNC in the first-ever collegiate coaching gig. Before his historic time with the Patriots, he had only coached in the NFL for teams such as the Baltimore Colts, New York Giants, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.

The program hopes the multi-time Super Bowl winner can bring his expertise to UNC, potentially giving them a shot at the national championship.