Evidently, there appears to be bad blood between North Carolina and the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick's rule as head coach. So much so that it took North Carolina's social media team a minute too late to celebrate former QB Drake Maye on Monday.
This, after Maye, QB of the Patriots, led them to an upset win over the undefeated Buffalo Bills on Sunday. On Monday, former North Carolina coach Mack Brown took to social media, seemingly taking a subtle jab at the program when he celebrated Maye.
“So Happy for Drake. Fun to watch him win last night in Buffalo like he did so many times at UNC,” Mack posted. “Love ❤️ and Appreciate you my friend! Keep it rolling!”
So Happy for Drake. Fun to watch him win last night in Buffalo like he did so many times at UNC. Love ❤️ and Appreciate you my friend! Keep it rolling! pic.twitter.com/BlfuJOGSto
— Mack Brown (@CoachMackBrown) October 6, 2025
According to insiders, Belichick told UNC's social media team to not post anything related to the Patriots. Brown coached the program from 1988-1997, and then again 2019-2024. Ultimately, in November 2024, Brown was fired as head coach at UNC.
That December, Belichick was brought on as head coach. In 2023, his long tenure as Patriots head coach ended very bitterly and he appears to carry resentment to this day.
Maye played under Brown for three years at North Carolina from 2021-2023. Along the way, he threw 8,018 passing yards, 63 touchdowns, and an overall rating of 154.1.
Mack Brown's accomplishments at North Carolina
Altogether, Brown is the winningest head coach in UNC history with 113 wins. Also, he became the first coach in program history to achieve 100 career wins.
From 1992 to 1996, the Tar Heels were ranked in the AP Top 25 every week. In 1996 and 1997, Brown led the Tar Heels to back to back ten win seasons. The 1997 team produced future NFL players Rae Carruth, Vonnie Holliday and Greg Ellis.
In 2022, Brown led UNC to the Orange Bowl and developed Maye and Sam Howell into future NFL quarterbacks.