Bill Belichick’s decision to take his coaching talents to Chapel Hill may have come down to one simple reason: Telling the NFL off.
In a lengthy report by ESPN, one person close to Belichick told the outlet that the future Hall-of-Fame coach had become “disgusted” with what the NFL had become.
“This is a big f–k you to the NFL,” a separate Belichick confidant told ESPN.
The report painted a picture in which the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach could see the writing on the wall that he would have to comprise further than he had to in his final year in New England and that the NFL as a whole was becoming more skeptical of his abilities.
According to ESPN, Belichick was also aware that the media scrutiny would be intense if he didn’t get production in his first season back in the NFL.
In his official press conference introducing him as the program’s new leader, Belichick expressed excitement about the new opportunity that he has in front of him at UNC.
He also highlighted the fact that his dad had been a college coach.
“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said. “It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL so that was OK, but this was really a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, who was in it for 50 years. All I knew was college football. It’s great to be back in Carolina, an environment I grew up in.”
Details about Belichick’s contract became public as well with the former Patriots head coach earning a base salary of $1 million and a supplemental income of $9 million.
His contract with North Carolina is $10 million for five years and there are a number of bonus opportunities included in the deal.
