With North Carolina football struggling, a new report suggests that Bill Belichick does not want the program to discuss the New England Patriots, even if it includes former Tar Heel Drake Maye.
Bill Belichick, Drake Maye, and the Lack of Promotion
According to sources inside the UNC football program, it is a directive from the staff (Bill Belichick) to not tweet/retweet anything Patriots-related.
That's clearly why UNC football has not posted anything from Drake Maye's electric primetime win over the Buffalo Bills.
— Ross Martin (@RossMartinNC) October 6, 2025
It’s no secret that the relationship between Belichick and the Patriots, particularly the Kraft family, has soured.
Belichick revealed last month that he forbade the Patriots’ scouts from attending North Carolina practices.
“It’s clear that I’m not welcome there at their facility,” Belichick said via Ari Meirov. “So they’re not welcome at ours. It’s pretty simple.”
Belichick’s grudge against the Patriots has prevented the program from promoting Maye, who played quarterback for the Tar Heels from 2021 to 2023.
Last night, Maye picked up the biggest win of his professional career when he led New England to a 23-20 upset victory over the Buffalo Bills. UNC’s X account usually posts video clips of former players succeeding in NFL games.
You would think that after Maye’s terrific performance in Week 4, his highlights would be all over North Carolina’s social media accounts.
That wasn’t the case.
Per Ross Martin, Belichick has directed the program not to tweet or retweet anything about the Patriots, including Maye.
Martin tweeted this information on Monday at 8:01 a.m. ET. The report went viral, with Belichick receiving immediate backlash.
Less than two hours after Martin’s tweet, North Carolina football’s X account posted about Maye’s performance on Sunday night. Even if Belichick doesn’t like the Patriots, and he has every right to do that, refusing to promote Maye is a bad look. At the very least, promote Maye’s highlights as a recruiting tool.
Drake Maye Impresses While UNC Football’s Struggles Continue
.@DrakeMaye2 pulling off some magic, where have we seen this before 🤔
🔟➡️8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qTd8sqorsc
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 6, 2025
Maye finally had his signature moment in the NFL.
Despite being more than a touchdown underdog, Maye led the Patriots into Buffalo and walked out with a 23-20 victory. Maye finished 22 of 30 for 273 yards, including 13 of 14 in the second half.
Maye showed athleticism and poise on the team’s final drive of the game that ended with the go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds left in the game.
The Patriots moved to 3-2, their first winning record since the 2019 season.
Meanwhile, Belichick’s struggles at the collegiate level continued on Saturday after North Carolina’s embarrassing 38-10 loss to Clemson. The Tigers blitzed the Tar Heels in the first quarter with 28 points on 16 offensive plays.
With the loss, the Tar Heels fell to 2-3 with zero wins against Power 4 opponents.
Next weekend, the Patriots face the New Orleans Saints. North Carolina has a bye before returning to action on Oct. 17 against California.
