Bill Belichick, North Carolina Bar Patriots Staff From Scouting Program

The Tar Heels are running a secretive operation.

Bill Belichick is running a tight ship at North Carolina. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick hasn't led the Patriots in two years—and he appears eager to impress that fact on anyone sniffing around the Tar Heels.

Belichick has banned New England's staff from scouting his players, according to a Thursday afternoon report from Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. The 73-year-old North Carolina boss and his program are reeling from a 48–14 loss to TCU in the season opener for both teams.

"[North Carolina general manager Michael] Lombardi and Tar Heels pro liason Frantzy Jourdain informed the Patriots that they would be banned from UNC the day before one of their scouts was scheduled to visit in August, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN," Kahler wrote.

Per Kahler, when she reached out to Lombardi regarding the story, he replied “Good luck,” and hung up the phone.

Other scouts told Kahler that access for all NFL personnel to Belichick's program is extremely limited—unusually so even in the paranoid world of college football.

The Tar Heels are scheduled to play Charlotte Saturday—but it seems that interested New England scouts may have to watch from home like other fans.

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