Former NFL MVP Cam Newton called out North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick for his hypocrisy. Over the past five months, the Tar Heels have become the talk of college football. The program boldly decided to hire the legendary NFL coach, who has never coached at the college level. Belichick's legendary tenure with the New England Patriots ended a little over a year ago, and now a new chapter of his career is being written. And it is off to a very odd first chapter.
The headlines that have primarily revolved around North Carolina football and its new head coach are not sports-related. Instead, these stories from major publications have concerned themselves with the 73-year-old's relationship with 24-year-old Jordan Hudson. Newton noted that these recent headlines and narratives go against the Patriot way from Belichick's previous tenure. The three-time Pro Bowler played a season in New England toward the twilight of his career. Newton did not hold back on his former head coach in an episode of 4th & 1 With Cam Newton.
“I find it extremely interesting to look at this situation for a person who always led with this in the locker room, in his personal life, just with anything. While he has been at the helm as a head coach, he’s always led with this: ‘Do not be a distraction.’ Coach Belichick has always stood on the principle of not being a distraction. That was to the coaches who were on his coaching staff. That was to the players playing for him, that was to everybody, but we find ourselves in this situation.”
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North Carolina football will look to quiet the skeptics during an unpredictable 2025 season

North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick before the game at Dean E. Smith Center.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There's no telling what the Tar Heels will do this upcoming season. The program moved on from Hall of Fame college coach Mack Brown amid a few middling seasons. In this new twelve-team College Football Playoff, North Carolina football should thrive and contend for a spot in the field in the near future. But this first season will likely include some growing pains as Belichick adjusts to the college level.

The Tar Heels do have a manageable schedule in 2025. After an opening-season clash with TCU, North Carolina will look forward to an ACC slate that does not include contenders like SMU and Miami. However, a midseason clash with Clemson looms in early October. With questions abound about this roster and its new head coach, North Carolina can quiet many of the skeptics in Week 1, at least for a couple of weeks.