Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is reportedly meeting with North Carolina to become the coach of the Tar Heels, but several former players can’t see the six-time Super Bowl champion returning to the college ranks.
ESPN reported Monday that the discussions between Belichick and North Carolina have “gone on for an extended period of time.” Former quarterback Tom Brady, alongside ex-Patriots pass-catchers Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman, said he couldn’t imagine the longtime NFL coach leading a group of college students.
“I think there’s a lot of things he could do,” Brady said on FOX’s Sunday NFL pregame show. “And obviously he’s tremendous — even showing his personality. But getting out there on the recruiting trail and dealing with all these college kids? That would be frightening.”
“Absolutely not,” Edelman noted.
Brady, who is in the middle of his first season as a color commentator at FOX, even tried to step into the role of Belichick during a potential recruiting visit.
“Listen, you really wanna come here?” Brady said with a glare. “I mean, we don’t really want you anyway, but I guess you could come. We’ll figure out if you’ll play.”
Belichick would likely accept the North Carolina job if school officials offered it to him, according to multiple reports. An announcement noting that Belichick is the new coach or that negotiations fell apart is expected this week.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.