Belichick has trademark terse presser after UNC’s year ends in loss

New England Patriots

“Yeah, so we’re not gonna do a season recap. I’m just finished with the game here.”

By Conor Ryan

November 30, 2025 | 6:32 PM

2 minutes to read

Bill Belichick’s first year as head coach of the UNC football team came to a close on Saturday, with the Tar Heels capping off a disappointing 4-8 season with a 42-19 loss to regional rival NC State. 

And in the immediate aftermath of that season-ending loss, the former Patriots head coach wasn’t exactly in the mood to reflect on a season gone awry.

In a vintage press conference all too familiar to his days in front of a mic in Foxborough, Belichick largely grumbled through a four-minute meeting with the media. 

“We’ll take a look at the season later,” Belichick said when asked what factors made his first year coaching in the collegiate ranks a challenge. “Just finished with the game ten minutes ago, so.”

The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach also brushed aside a question about what lessons he learned from his opening campaign at Chapel Hill.

“Yeah, we just got done with the game, OK?” Belichick said. “So . . . yeah, so we’re not gonna do a season recap. I’m just finished with the game here. We’ll do a season recap when we get done, you know, alright? I mean, sorry.”

Belichick’s approach in his final postgame presser of the year drew plenty of criticism from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Sunday. 

“The dismissive attitude works when a coach is winning,” Florio wrote. “When a coach is struggling, it has a much different feel. As I’ve said time and again about Belichick, if he wants to avoid answering fair and reasonable questions from reporters on a regular basis, he should go coach high-school lacrosse — and be compensated accordingly.

“He works for a public institution now. He makes $10 million per year from that university. He’s the primary face and voice of the football program. Short, chippy, and argumentative answers become an even worse look when he’s working for a school that is funded by the people and that ultimately belongs to them.”

Despite the Hall-of-Fame resume that Belichick achieved in the NFL, that same success hasn’t translated to the collegiate ranks.

Beyond the headlines and distractions regarding Belichick’s continued grudge against the Patriots and his relationship with Jordon Hudson, a Belichick-coached UNC team seriously underperformed on the gridiron.

The Tar Heels had plenty of momentum entering Belichick’s first year as head coach, with UNC football general manager Mike Lombardi deeming the program as the “33rd team” in the NFL. 

But after opening the year with ESPN’s “College GameDay” in town for a primetime matchup against TCU (a 48-14 loss), the Tar Heels were largely uncompetitive — with their four wins coming against Charlotte, Richmond, Syracuse, and Stanford. 

In total, UNC lost five games by 15 or more points in 2025, and failed to punch its ticket to a Bowl Game for the first time since 2018. 

Reports sprouted up in October that Belichick was discussing “buyout options” with UNC — prompting both Belichick and the school to reaffirm their commitment to one another in a brief social-media statement. 

But amid more reports that the Tar Heels were an “unstructured mess” this fall — coupled with UNC’s lackluster record — Belichick and his staff have their work cut out for them as they try to put this 2025 campaign in the rearview.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.