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Category Archives: WPTF News

Bill Belichick won big in the NFL. Can he do it as a rookie college coach at North Carolina?

Bill Belichick won big in the NFL. Can he do it as a rookie college coach at North Carolina?

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina bet big on Bill Belichick to elevate its football program beyond decades of also-ran status and mid-tier bowl appearances.

More simply, though, it was a bet Belichick could do something he never has before.

The 73-year-old with six Super Bowl titles as an NFL head coach is now a college rookie. He’s traded rosters of 30-somethings for recruiting teenagers yet to emerge from under their parents’ wings. He’s greeted donors at fundraising gatherings. And he’s working amid a wildly evolving landscape of player empowerment across college athletics.

The first on-field look comes Monday night when the Tar Heels host TCU.

“I’ve been through a lot of opening days,” Belichick said, “and every one is the same in that there’s some things you kind of feel good about, there’s some other questions that you have.”

The setting

The spotlight will lock on Belichick taking the field — possibly with his trademarked hoodie look — as he pushes a vision of building the NFL’s “33rd team” at a school better known for its storied men’s basketball program.

ESPN will host a pregame show from Kenan Stadium. UNC has sold out season tickets (at higher prices, no less) and single-game seats. And beyond Monday, streaming provider Hulu will feature the program in a behind-the-scenes show.

TCU coach Sonny Dykes has experience with spectacle, at least. Two years ago, his ranked Horned Frogs hosted Colorado in retired NFL star Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes debut — and lost.

“Never thought I would, no,” Dykes said of facing Belichick. “Just assumed he would aways coach in the NFL and assumed I’d always coach in college, and didn’t really consider that possibility. One thing I’ve learned about college football though is never say never.”

College pivot

Belichick’s NFL career featured a 24-year run leading the New England Patriots, producing six world titles alongside star quarterback Tom Brady. When Belichick and the Patriots split in January 2024, he held 333 regular-season and playoff wins, trailing only Don Shula (347) for the NFL record.

Belichick was later linked to NFL jobs but nothing materialized. That eventually led to the unlikely pairing with UNC when the school moved on from Mack Brown. At the time, Belichick said he “always wanted” to try college coaching and cited his late father Steve’s connection as a Tar Heels assistant in the 1950s.

In months since, he’s popped up at men’s basketball and baseball games and can rattle off a list of stops — Atlanta, New York and Chicago, included — on the donor circuit.

“It’s really fun to be part of a school,” Belichick said last month. “I grew up in Annapolis at the Naval Academy and there’s only one team: there’s Navy. It didn’t matter if it was Navy baseball, Navy lacrosse, Navy football, Navy swimming, Navy this, Navy that — you always root for the same team. … So you’re really part of a community.”

UNC gave Belichick a five-year deal, the first three guaranteed at $10 million in base and supplemental pay, to spark a program that last won an ACC title in 1980. It comes as the sport’s role as the revenue driver in college athletics has never been more important, particularly with July’s introduction of revenue sharing.

In a recent athletics department podcast, chancellor Lee Roberts pointed to early returns in added buzz from Belichick’s mere presence.

“I’d say, in a lot of ways the experiment — and I think that’s the right word — has already been successful,” Roberts said.

Coaching relationships

Of course, questions abounded. Among the biggest: would the NFL lifer known for terse and gruff responses in Patriots news conferences really hit the recruiting trail?

Rolesville High coach Ranier Rackley was quickly convinced.

His school, about 40 miles east of Chapel Hill, was an immediate stop for Belichick with the Rams featuring multiple prospects, including four-star senior edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Haynes.

“There was a situation for me with my schedule that I had to change the dates of him originally coming,” Rackley said. “He was like, ‘No, we’ll make it around your schedule.’ And he did that. For me, I’m like, ‘Wow, this is Bill Belichick adjusting to my schedule to come see my kids.’”

Rackley recalled Belichick spending two hours in his first visit “talking about ball, talking about life” while working to build relationships. Rackley said there’s an “open-door policy” for him to visit or talk with UNC’s staff, and that Belichick had been receptive to Rackley’s observations.

That included a tip to look at defensive lineman Xavier Lewis, landing the former Austin Peay recruit on UNC’s roster as a freshman.

Rackley said six of his players have UNC offers with three committed: Griffin-Haynes; his brother Jayden, a linebacker and fellow senior; and junior running back Amir Brown.

“Even when I go out to practices, when (Belichick) sees us, before he goes to anybody else, he’ll come talk to us,” Rackley said. “That means something to me. Not saying other coaches haven’t done that, but the fact that I know my guys will be in good hands — that makes me settled in my spirit, in my heart, that they’re going to be OK.”

Convincing a mother

Winning over Mom, however, is a tougher sell. And Latara Griffin, mother to the Griffin-Haynes brothers, wasn’t going to be easily swayed by numbers on a résumé.

“I am really a football mom,” she said. “I care about my kids. I care about being able to lay my head down at night and know my kids are good and being taken care of.”

So she didn’t hold back when questioning Belichick, including how he’d go from coaching grown men to teenagers never having lived away from home. Or whether this was a one-year pitstop before returning to the NFL.

Griffin said she sensed some nervousness from the coaching great in early conversations, though that faded into a welcoming vibe. She described establishing a strong connection with UNC’s defensive coordinator — Belichick’s son, Steve, and his family — and appreciated the elder Belichick’s effort to understand the importance for the brothers to play together.

After prayer-filled days for her, the brothers announced their commitment to UNC in June for a January enrollment.

“I think after being around us a little bit more, I’ve seen him kind of be a little bit more open: telling jokes, laughing and smiling,” she said with a laugh. “When you see Bill Belichick on pictures, you don’t really feel like he’s funny and cool like that. But he is.”

What’s ahead

Belichick’s current players, meanwhile, have had time to get past star-struck first encounters with a man they grew up watching at the sport’s highest level.

“It’s pretty normal now,” receiver Alex Taylor said.

Still, that doesn’t mean Belichick’s presence has lost its luster, or that friends and families have stopped inquiring about what Belichick is like.

“Honestly it’s just every meeting I walk into, every new day,” Boise State transfer linebacker Andrew Simpson said, “I just sit there and I understand that I’m in front of greatness.”

The only thing left now? Actually winning games.

“The whole college football world is going to notice in regards to what they’re going to bring,” Rackley said of UNC’s staff. “It’s going to be interesting to see, man.”

___

AP Sports Writer Stephen Hawkins in Fort Worth, Texas, contributed to this report.

Trump is cutting 500-plus jobs at Voice of America and its parent agency despite legal challenges

Trump is cutting 500-plus jobs at Voice of America and its parent agency despite legal challenges

WASHINGTON (AP) — The agency that oversees Voice of America and other government-funded international broadcasters says it’s eliminating jobs for more than 500 employees. That word came late Friday and could ratchet up a monthslong legal challenge over the news outlets’ fate. A federal judge on Thursday had blocked the administration from removing Michael Abramowitz as VOA director. And the same judge earlier in the week had ruled that the Trump administration had failed to show how it was complying with his orders to restore VOA operations.… Continue Reading

Sayin, defense propel No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7

Sayin, defense propel No. 3 Ohio State past top-ranked Texas 14-7

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the defense of their national championship with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas. It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season’s national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three. Arch Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns.… Continue Reading

Stocks pull back from their latest all-time highs on Wall Street

Stocks pull back from their latest all-time highs on Wall Street

Stocks lost ground on Wall Street a day after the market hit its latest all-time highs. The S&P 500 fell 0.6% Friday. The index ended August up 1.9%, its fourth straight month of gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 92 points, or 0.2%. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.2%. Treasury yields were mixed in the bond market. The government said prices mostly held steady last month. European markets were mostly lower and Asian markets closed mixed. U.S. markets will be closed on Monday for the Labor Day holiday.… Continue Reading

Trump ends ex-Vice President Harris’ Secret Service protection early after Biden had extended it

Trump ends ex-Vice President Harris’ Secret Service protection early after Biden had extended it

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has revoked former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection that otherwise would’ve ended next summer. That’s according to senior Trump administration officials. Former vice presidents typically get federal government protection for six months after leaving office, while ex-presidents do so for life. But another person familiar with the matter says then-President Joe Biden quietly signed a directive, at Harris’ request, that had extended protection for her. The people insisted on anonymity Friday to discuss a matter not made public. Trump is a Republican. Biden and Harris are Democrats. Trump defeated Harris in the presidential election last year after Biden dropped out of the contest and Harris replaced him.… Continue Reading

NC State’s late 4th-down stop seals 24-17 win against East Carolina to open season

NC State’s late 4th-down stop seals 24-17 win against East Carolina to open season

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — N.C. State stopped East Carolina on a fourth-and-1 pass in the red zone with 37 seconds left to hold on for a 24-17 season-opening win. ECU trailed 17-0 but drove all the way to the Wolfpack’s 9-yard line in the final minute before N.C. State’s stop. CJ Bailey threw for 318 yards and a perfect 48-yard scoring pass up the seam to Wesley Grimes for the Wolfpack. Bailey also joined Hollywood Smothers in rushing for a touchdown. Katin Houser threw for 366 yards and a 79-yard touchdown to Jayvontay Conner shortly before halftime.… Continue Reading

Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency

Trump proposed getting rid of FEMA, but his review council seems focused on reforming the agency

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages federal disaster response. But at a Thursday meeting, the 12-person review council he appointed to propose changes to FEMA seemed more focused on reforms than total dismantlement. The meeting in Oklahoma City offered hints of what types of reforms the council might present to Trump in its final report. Members mainly focused on conventional and oft-cited opportunities for change, such as getting money faster to states and survivors and enhancing the capacity of local emergency managers.… Continue Reading

Fiery texts from Michael Jordan, NASCAR executives disclosed in NASCAR antitrust battle

Fiery texts from Michael Jordan, NASCAR executives disclosed in NASCAR antitrust battle

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The bitter fight between NASCAR and two of its teams who have filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the stock-racing giant spilled into public view Thursday during an acrimonious hearing that included the disclosure of expletive-laden emails and text messages from team owner Michael…… Continue Reading

North Carolina’s Bill Belichick turns to Gio Lopez as starting QB for opener against TCU

North Carolina’s Bill Belichick turns to Gio Lopez as starting QB for opener against TCU

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina will start Gio Lopez at quarterback against TCU in Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut. Belichick announced the decision during a news conference on Wednesday. Lopez transferred from South Alabama and joined the team after spring drills. Belichick praised Lopez’s progress and said he would get most of the practice reps leading up to the game. Lopez threw for over 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns last year while also proving to be a mobile threat. The Tar Heels’ quarterback room also includes veteran Max Johnson and two freshmen.… Continue Reading

FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots but limits access for some kids and adults

FDA approves updated COVID-19 shots but limits access for some kids and adults

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming fall and winter season. But it could be weeks before many Americans know whether they’ll be able to get one, under new restrictions from the Trump administration. The new shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax target a newer version of the coronavirus. They are approved for all seniors but only for younger adults and children with at least one underlying health problem, like obesity. Additionally, U.S. officials revoked use of Pfizer’s vaccine in young children.… Continue Reading

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