Patriots HC Welcomes Bill Belichick to Facility Despite Controversy

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel commented publicly on Bill Belichick's comments and resulting ban of Patriots scouts from UNC facilities.

Jan 11, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left) and Patriots former head coach Bill Belichick (right) and hold a press conference at Gillette Stadium to announce Belichick's exit from the team. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been making headlines as of late due to his actions and comments against Patriots scouts.

NFL scouts have reportedly had a tough time in general when it comes to dealing with North Carolina in its new era under Belichick. Scouts have faced obstacles when it comes to scouting UNC players — and now it had been confirmed that Belichick has specifically banned Patriots scouts from attending his practices. In fact, during Saturday's postgame media availability Belichick explained his reasoning behind the ban.

“It’s clear I’m not welcome around their facility," Belichick said of the Patriots on Friday night. "So they aren’t welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple.”

Bill Belichick on the Patriots organization

Per: @JoshGrahamShow

“It’s clear I’m not welcome around their facility. So they aren’t welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple.” pic.twitter.com/3UGhr7sC06

— Savage (@SavageSports_) September 7, 2025

However, UNC's cornerbacks Thaddeus Dixon and Marcus Allen are projected to hear their names called for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft; any sort of limitation surrounding league scouts has impeding negative implications on their future careers.

Perhaps it is for this reason that new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was asked Monday about Belichick's status with the Patriots in the wake of the recent statements made by the Tar Heels coach.

"Bill came back for, to the best of my knowledge, [to] Tom's ceremony," Vrabel said in his weekly interview with sports radio WEEI in reference to Belichick's appearance at Tom Brady's in-stadium team Hall of Fame ceremony back in June 2024. "So I guess he's welcomed back based on the fact he was there."

"I'll just go by that — since his departure as the head coach here, he's been back. I'll leave it at that," Vrabel added.

According to ESPN, Belichick's reference to being welcome in New England is less about his physical presence at the facility and more about being treated with respect as relations between New England's owner Robert Kraft and the former coach have been strained — to say the least — since the two parted ways in January 2024.

Though Kraft also recently told WBZ-TV that he has plans to commission a Belichick statue in the coming years.

"When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching," Kraft said. "When Bill's coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy."

Therefore, it really does seem like it's just a matter of the dust settling in terms of Belichick being on good terms with parting ways from the Patriots.

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