"He’s ruining the dreams of 100s of young men": NFL fans react to Bill Belichick banning Patriots scouts from UNC

Bill Belichick drew criticism after reportedly shutting New England Patriots scouts out of North Carolina practices.

John Middlekauff of the "3 & Out" podcast reported on Thursday that the coach delivered the order through Tar Heels manager Mike Lombardi.

Fans reacted to the news on X.

“This does nothing but hurt the young men he’s supposed to be mentoring and preparing for the potential of going to the league. He’s ruining the dreams of 100s of young men,” one fan wrote.

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@MySportsUpdate @JohnMiddlekauff This does nothing but hurt the young men he’s supposed to be mentoring and preparing for the potential of going to the league. He’s ruining the dreams of 100s of young men.

“I see the relationship between Kraft and Belichick is still thriving,” another fan said.

“How does he even have the power to do that?” one fan tweeted.

More reactions poured in.

"Are these ‘scouts’ even interested in coming?” a fan commented.

“That’s tough,” another fan wrote.

"Belichick’s decision to limit scout access at UNC might protect his program’s edge but risks alienating NFL teams and could hurt his players’ draft prospects. It’s a bold move that prioritizes control over collaboration," one fan coommented.

Belichick’s collegiate coaching career got off to a rough start on Monday as UNC fell 48-14 to TCU. The Tar Heels allowed two defensive touchdowns on turnovers, struggled on third downs and gave up explosive plays on the ground.

“Give TCU credit," Belichick said during Wednesday's presser. "That’s a good football team, and they played well. But a lot of our problems are self-inflicted.”

Patriots owner reveals Bill Belichick statue plans

NCAA Football: Texas Christian at North Carolina - Source: Imagn

Bill Belichick spent 24 seasons in Foxborough. He guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships alongside Tom Brady before parting ways with the franchise in January 2024.

Despite the split, Patriots owner Robert Kraft intends to honor his longtime coach. In an interview with WBZ-TV, Kraft said he hopes to have a Belichick statue outside Gillette Stadium once the coach's career ends. The remark came weeks after the unveiling of Brady’s bronze statue.

“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," Kraft said on Wednesday. "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.”

The franchise hired former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel to be its coach in January.