Paul Finebaum calls North Carolina, Bill Belichick statements on coach's status 'totally bogus'

It’s safe to say that, despite the college football season not even being half over, the season has been a disaster for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Bill Belichick. Now, amid rumors of his future there, both Belichick and the school have put out statements that they’re committed.
Not everyone is buying those statements, though. That includes Paul Finebaum, who appeared on Get Up on Thursday morning to rip apart the statements and Belichick’s brief tenure at North Carolina.
“First of all, I felt those statements were completely and totally bogus,” Finebaum said. “If you’re going to make a declarative statement, make it. Don’t just issue a meaningless piece of paper, which is what Belichick did. It feels to me like it is over.”
For Finebaum, this goes beyond the success, or lack thereof, that Belichick has had at North Carolina. On the field, it’s been a struggle, getting blown out in all three games they’ve played against Power Four opponents. That matters, but more important to Finebaum is his behavior off the field. That’s what’s indicative that this saga is coming to a close.
“I think his behavior is indicative of that. I don’t want to make too much out of it,” Finebaum said. “But he basically took a week off during the bye week. He’s entitled to have his own private life. We’ve said that repeatedly here, but I’ve never heard of a coach in big-time college football to do something like that. Maybe take an afternoon off to play golf during the bye week, but not go on vacation. So, to me, he has checked out. The play on the field has checked out. His coaching has been abysmal, and I think Bill Belichick would be wise to walk out now before the humiliation gets any worse.”
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All of these concerns and the statements that North Carolina put out are in response to some reports that Belichick has signaled a willingness to trigger his buyout. On top of that, there have also reportedly been conversations about his future with the program. This comes amid the disarray within the program. One source within the program even told WRAL News, “It’s an unstructured mess. There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster.”
Given that Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL coach ever, and his reputation for precision, it all sounds like a shock. That’s also led to concerns from Finebaum that if it goes on much longer, it could take a toll on his legacy.
“Only if it’s prolonged and he continues to be embarrassed on a weekly basis. I think if he walks out now, everybody shakes their heads. Okay, he tried it. Couldn’t get an NFL job… Every time he stands up there and says something like he has said repeatedly, that’s just inane and stupid and inappropriate,” Finebaum said. “Whether it comes with one of his former players or a Patriot, it just gets worse. There’s only one way out for him. It’s an easy way out, and I know he doesn’t like to take the easy way out, but right now if he walked out, he would save face more than to continue to fight and embarrass himself, and really begin to tarnish his legacy.”
It’s hard to say how much longer Belichick is going to be at North Carolina. For now, though, the Tar Heels sit at 2-3 and are on a bye week before continuing ACC play against Cal.