The North Carolina football program may now add NCAA rules violations to a growing list of blunders during Bill Belichick’s troubled first season in Chapel Hill.
This week, UNC cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins was suspended for offering extra benefits to a player, including sideline passes for the player’s family, according to a report from The Athletic.
The suspension happened after a WRAL report detailed dysfunction and said players were selling the tickets allotted to them. Subsequently, the outlet reported that a UNC compliance officer sent a text to players telling them that selling tickets violates NCAA rules.
It’s the latest in a series of unfortunate events for the Tar Heels since the season began.
Belichick’s hire was first announced last December. At the time, there was plenty of optimism—and media coverage, including news of a Hulu documentary series—surrounding Belichick’s debut. (Though even then, reports surrounding the presence and control exerted by his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, raised eyebrows and brought about questions of potential distractions.)
But the situation in Chapel Hill has not gone as planned. It opened with an embarrassing 48–14 loss to TCU. So far, the Tar Heels have notched two wins and three losses. They’ve had the worst start against Power 4 opponents since the team was founded in 1888 with three losses to TCU, UCF, and Clemson. Together, those losses add up to an 87-point margin, per data from USA Today.
In addition to the drama caused by the WRAL report released Monday, Hulu reportedly canceled its documentary series on the Tar Heels, Inside Carolina, this week. On Wednesday, 247 Sports reported exit-strategy discussions had taken place on campus.
Both Belichick and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham released statements Wednesday night, each expressing continued commitment to one another and to the program. “I’m fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here,” Belichick said. And Cunningham noted, “Coach Belichick has the full support of the Department of Athletics and the University.”
Belichick is currently on a five-year, $50 million contract at UNC with a $20.8 million buyout, per USA Today’s database.
Representatives for UNC and the NCAA did not immediately respond to Front Office Sports’s request for comment.
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