Hall of Fame snub, Dublin return and the constant noise: Belichick endures

The multiple Super Bowl winner has endured a string of off-field controversies and snubs in the past year. But Bill Belichick remains unchanged, still driven by the same obsession.

Head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, Bill Belichick:'You learn how to have a productive team, what you want for you team, what you want as a team-mate'. Pic: Alex Halloway/Getty Images

He has logged over 50 years coaching between the NFL and the college game. He is 73. He has endured a string of off-field controversies and snubs in the past year. 

Bill Belichick remains unchanged, still driven by the same obsession.

The former New England Patriots head coach, the man who directed a dynasty that yielded six Super Bowls, is coming to Dublin for the annual Aer Lingus College Football Classic as his North Carolina side faces TCU this August at the Aviva Stadium. 

A welcome return, as it turns out.

“I was in Dublin for a Bon Jovi concert,” said Belichick, placing the year as 1994 or 1995. “It was quite a festive atmosphere in the summer. It was right after the 4th of July. Spent a couple of nights there and listen to Jon rock the city.” 

It has been a restless few months for the sport’s most successful coach. His debut campaign at UNC ended with a disappointing 4–8 record. 

Last month, it emerged Belichick would not be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility despite his credentials. His relationship with 24-year-old Jordan Hudson has been a high-profile saga, played out in the glare of social media. 

Hudson herself previously tried to trademark “gold digger” to hit back at critics.

And yet, here Belichick is, fielding routine questions from American media about spring practice and his new coaching staff and batting away queries about the Hall of Fame snub.

“I'm focused on coaching this team and focused on getting Carolina football to the highest level I can. I focus about what I can do, and things that are out of my control, I don't worry about."

That is not to say the coach, who typically enjoys a tense relationship with the media, is not still capable of being insightful or entertaining. At one point in his initial press conference, he was asked what football teaches the young minds entering his programme.

“Life. Everything in life,” he replied immediately. “Where do you want to start? We all get knocked down and we all get up. We all answer the bell the next time. Football is a team of teams.” 

CAT WALK: Belichick and Jordon Hudson.

What followed was a detailed breakdown of the multiple supports required to navigate adulthood, from doctors to lawyers to babysitters, all of whom are required to work in tandem.

“You learn how to have a productive team, what you want for you team, what you want as a team-mate, how to be a good team-mate, how to help your team-mates be more productive for you. Football is life. That is what it is.” 

His low tolerance for waffle is can be refreshing too. Before talk turns to Dublin, he openly acknowledges the recent trip was an attractive proposition in his pursuit of players. New rules have allowed college athletes to be paid in a fundamental restructuring of the old order.

“Our freshman that are here, for them to play their first game abroad is a pretty exciting experience for those guys. We’re all looking forward to it but especially that group. It’s certainly an attractive recruiting tool to have this game as part of our schedule.” 

There is no space for sentiment or guarantees. The University of North Carolina operations team were in Dublin last January for a visit that left him satisfied. 

24-year-oldYet when talk turns to a potential debut for Newry native Adam McCann Gibbs, who came through Tadhg Leader’s kicking programme as a punter, Belichick was unmoved. That place would have to be earned.

“Well, we saw his workout from some of the coaching videos that he had. He's got a big leg and certainly seems to have the ability to perform at this level. But he's never played American football.

“So we'll see. These practises will be very important for him this spring to see how he acclimates to our style of kicking, a little different ball and so forth. He'll have a great opportunity to earn that playing time opportunity. But there are other people who'd be competing with and we'll see how all that plays out.

“Again, he is a very talented player, but one without very much experience in our game.” 

As for Ireland’s forthcoming seismic World Cup play-off semi-final in Prague, Belichick’s advice to Heimir Hallgrímsson was pure Belichick.

“I don’t know too much about soccer. I guess my advice would be to keep the ball out of your net. Start with that.

“Look, obviously they are a very good team to get this far. And so I think you’ve got to rely on the things that have gotten you to where it is. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Don’t try to do something you’ve never done before. Do what you have been doing to be successful to the best of your ability and trust the process.”