Bill Belichick is widely considered to be the greatest coach in NFL history. His six Super Bowl victories are two more than the second-place Chuck Noll, while his nine appearances in the Big Game are three more than Don Shula and Andy Reid, who are tied for second. Only Shula and George Halas have more regular season wins than the long-time New England Patriots’ head coach’s 302, while his 31 postseason victories are the most all-time.
The three-time NFL Coach of the Year did not coach in 2024 after mutually agreeing to part ways with the Patriots following the 2023 season. It marked his first year away from coaching since he finished his college playing career in 1974.
Belichick is set to make his return to the sidelines in 2025 with his first coaching job at the collegiate level after being named the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. But Ted Johnson, who won three Super Bowls playing under the legendary head coach in New England, recently made the case that he should be fired before the season even begins.
Ted Johnson Suggests Tar Heels Fire Bill Belichick
Belichick has found himself in the news much more than expected recently due to his relationship with Jordon Hudson, who is nearly 50 years younger than him. The couple recently made headlines once again as she interrupted his interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” after a question was asked about how they met.
Several reports have since emerged about her interfering with the interview and delaying production, as well as shutting down HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series about the Tar Heels because she wanted to play an “instrumental role.” Johnson, who played five seasons under Belichick, argued that UNC should part ways with their football coach.
“I hold college coaches to a higher standard than I do NFL coaches. When it comes to morally, they are supposed to leaders of men, set a good example that kind of thing,” Johnson said. “So that leads me to what’s going on at UNC with Bill Belichick. And I’m surprised UNC never called Atlanta on why they passed on Bill Belichick and hiring him. My feeling is that the Atlanta Falcons are kinda looking at UNC and going, ‘You should have called us.’
“I say all that to say this: that I think the UNC Tar Heels should consider firing Bill Belichick. That they should consider letting him go at this point. It’s a lot of money and they’re deep into, obviously, their preparation for next year. But I look at Bill Belichick and I wonder if he’s fit to coach an NFL team, let alone fit to coach a college team.
“Which, again, I put more onus on the character and personality and just overall character, if you will, of a college coach than I do a pro coach. And so I’m worried that Bill Belichick just isn’t fit to coach college kids and UNC should consider cutting ties with Bill Belichick.”
Johnson, who was a member of the Patriots’ All-1990s Team, noted that he does not have any biases from his time playing under Belichick. While it is unlikely that the legendary head coach actually gets fired, calls for his job could grow louder if the team struggles.
It’s worth noting that UNC higher-ups are reportedly “concerned about Hudson’s influence” on Belichick, and there’s “a growing sense this could become a problem.”
