Bill Belichick’s legendary NFL pedigree meant nothing in his disastrous 4-8 debut season at UNC, but a surprising financial lifeline has just emerged for the struggling Tar Heels. Despite the setback, the 73-year-old has returned for another year. Regardless of the reason, with him at the helm, UNC has received big news.

On Monday, WRAL sports investigative reporter Brian Murphy reported that UNC’s overall revenue for 2024–2025 was $173 million, while expenses totaled $188 million. This left the athletics department with a $15 million deficit. But football brought in $62.3 million in revenue against $49.1 million in expenses.

That surplus is a boost for the Tar Heels, but it doesn’t change the fact that Belichick’s NFL strategy hasn’t translated to college. His 49 consecutive seasons in the NFL failed to prepare him for the college game, as his complete lack of experience as a college coach contributed to one of the program’s worst seasons in recent history.

Under Bill Belichick, UNC missed bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. While the UNC coach signed a five-year, $50 million contract in early 2025, one big factor in his staying is the hefty buyout. As firing him would cost the program nearly $30 million, that eight-figure salary makes UNC’s commitment to Belichick easier to understand.

But from another perspective, a debut season may not be enough for Belichick to fully grasp all the nuances of CFB. Perhaps that’s why one losing season shouldn’t be the final word, giving the university a clear reason to retain him for another season. Although for the 2026 season, Belichick has again built a staff with NFL experience.

But this time, they also bring college expertise, and that blend could give the Tar Heels an edge in the upcoming season. Yet, for now, it’s a waiting game, though there’s no doubt about Belichick’s potential. He won six Super Bowl titles as the head coach of the New England Patriots and then two titles as the defensive coordinator of the Giants.

To cap it off, his 333 career NFL wins rank second all-time among head coaches, trailing only Don Shula. Despite that kind of talent, he has faced a snub from a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bill Belichick believes that politics kept him out.

“He doesn’t believe this is a reflection on his accomplishments,” revealed a source close to Belichick, according to ESPN.

The UNC coach fell short of the 40 votes needed from the 50-member HOF committee. This is where controversies surrounding his career come into play. In 2007, he was at the center of the Patriots’ Spygate scandal, while he was also involved in the 2015 Deflategate controversy. Considering that, ESPN reports the HOF deliberations factored in those scandals. However, the question of the league’s direct involvement in that decision has now been addressed.

The NFL commissioner’s take on Bill Belichick’s snub

The football community’s attention turned quickly to Bill Belichick after the Patriots made it to the Super Bowl for the first time this decade. The questions mostly swirled around the story of his snub from the list of HOF inductees. On Monday, during a press conference in San Jose, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed it.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame is not in any way controlled by the NFL. We have no say in the voting process, we don’t participate in the voting process,” he said.

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In short, he suggests the NFL has no role in Hall of Fame voting beyond approving the media panel, while the HOF voting process is tightly structured. A 50-member media panel casts ballots each year, and the Pro Football HOF Board of Directors must approve each voter with at least 80% support. Although Belichick was not selected for this year’s list of inductees, Goodell still praised his impact on the game and the Patriots’ historic success.

“Bill Belichick’s record goes without saying. Same with the Patriots and Robert Kraft. They are spectacular. They’ve contributed so much to this game, and I believe they’ll be Hall of Famers,” he said.

Despite that snub, Bill Belichick continued his recruiting momentum at UNC, as the coach is focused on making a breakout season in 202