Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.
Off-field chatter about The Hoodie is only getting worse.
When a legendary football coach is hired, his story follows him wherever he goes, for the good, bad and ugly of it.
While Bill Belichick’s first Tar Heel team gradually grows, so does the scuttlebutt around him with old, regurgitated news and new headlines.
A week ago, a social media post was shared around the Internet that said LSU’s Brian Kelly has made a secret agreement with UNC to succeed Belichick after this season. It seemed ridiculous for several reasons. First, no SEC coach in his right mind would take a pay and prestige cut by going to an ACC school, unless it was Clemson or maybe Louisville. But with Belichick’s bank-breaking UNC contract being public knowledge, maybe there is even more money for a football coach who can take Carolina to the top of the ACC.
Then on Sunday, a report flashed across ESPN that LSU has decided to move on from Kelly after four seasons in which the Tigers have been good but not great.
Their standard has always been high, but especially since Joe Burrow led them to the national championship six years ago under Ed Oregon their goal is to keep pace with Alabama and Georgia.
If the report is true, the former Notre Dame coach may indeed be looking around. And UNC is still considered a prime job for the right coach who has 20 years of college experience and is on top of how it has changed recently.
Should Belichick and Carolina part ways, some of it may be blamed on ill preparedness by him and general manager Michael Lombardi in constructing the kind of roster they boasted and now are preaching patience.
News outlets locally, regionally and nationally continue to cover the Belichick story and unearth new information, keeping Carolina in the shareable media almost daily. From Raleigh’s WRAL, which has a TV special on the Belichick era coming out in the next week, to blogs and podcasts, updates to the tale stay above the fold.
For example, nepotism on the coaching staff has long been questioned because UNC has a written policy. Belichick has two sons as assistant coaches and Lombardi has one. In addition to The Hoodie’s guaranteed $30 million contract, Lombardi and the three offspring have deals worth more than $7 million through 2026.
According to the public contracts of all UNC coaches, Mike Lombardi reports to Belichick while his son Matt, the QB coach, and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and his brother and safeties coach Brian report to athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
And then there is the head coach’s girlfriend, whose constant exposure has made her just about the second face of Carolina football. She continues showing up on the sideline before games, giving every camera person from local websites to Getty Images ample material.
When will all this madness end? It could depend on who Kelly brings with him.
Featured image via Associated Press/Ben McKeown
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
