Six days after Paul Finebaum predicted Bill Belichick’s college career was about to “go down in flames,” North Carolina gave Stephen A. Smith an opening to fire back.
Belichick’s Tar Heels beat TCU 15-10 in Dublin on Saturday, immediately disproving Finebaum’s prediction that UNC would lose its opener. Smith returned to the subject Monday on “First Take” and made clear that his issue went beyond whether Finebaum’s football forecast was right or wrong.
Stephen A. Smith Says Paul Finebaum Crossed a Line
Finebaum had said Tuesday that he was “not pulling for Bill Belichick,” calling the six-time Super Bowl champion a “grouch” and a “bully.” He also predicted Belichick would not survive his second season at North Carolina after a 4-8 debut year and another turbulent offseason.
“It’s not that you were wrong. It’s that you were cruel,” Smith said about Finebaum’s comments on Belichick.
Smith thought the criticism became unnecessarily personal.
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“I mean to sit up there and to say with a straight face on national television, you’re not rooting for the guy. I mean, damn Paul. I mean, really?” Smith said. “Why wouldn’t you root for somebody who’s universally recognized as arguably the greatest coach to have ever lived?”
Smith acknowledged Belichick’s famously prickly relationship with the media, describing him as capable of being “truculent” and “abrasive.” He also noted that Belichick has always treated him well.
.@stephenasmith defends Bill Belichick after @finebaum publicly criticized him 😳 pic.twitter.com/0dkwrzWrQD
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 31, 2026
Then Smith challenged Finebaum to explain whether something deeper was driving the criticism.
“If there’s some personal confrontation that you had with him, tell the audience,” Smith said. “Why don’t you tell us about you and Bill Belichick?”
Finebaum’s Bill Belichick Prediction Already Takes a Hit
Finebaum’s criticism did not emerge from nowhere. UNC finished 4-8 in Belichick’s first season and posted a 73.3 PFN Offense Impact grade, ranking No. 85 nationally. General manager Michael Lombardi remains on paid administrative leave, while defensive coordinator Steve Belichick has been away on medical leave.
Still, Finebaum specifically predicted North Carolina would lose to TCU in Ireland. Instead, the Tar Heels held the Horned Frogs scoreless for the final 49 minutes and opened Year 2 with a 15-10 victory.
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Finebaum himself acknowledged the result afterward. During a “Get Up!” appearance, he praised Belichick’s performance and admitted, ‘Nobody was a bigger mouth than me on Friday when we talked about it.'”
Smith also defended Belichick’s NFL résumé, arguing that younger decision-makers are part of the reason the 74-year-old did not land another NFL head-coaching job before moving to college. That was Smith’s interpretation, not reporting about why teams passed on Belichick.
One win does not settle Finebaum’s larger prediction that Belichick’s college experiment will eventually fail. North Carolina is 1-0 and has a bye before hosting East Tennessee State on Sept. 12.
Smith’s objection was narrower. Finebaum was free to doubt Belichick’s coaching future. In Smith’s view, openly rooting against him and making the criticism personal was where the commentary became “cruel.”
