Bill Belichick might be gone from New England, but some habits die hard.
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According to a new report, Belichick may have quietly directed North Carolina's football program to avoid posting anything about the Patriots on social media. The timing of a Drake Maye highlight video is what sparked the suspicion.
Maye, the former UNC star and current Patriots rookie quarterback, led New England to a stunning 23-20 upset over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night. It was the first signature win of the Mike Vrabel era, with Maye making several key plays in prime time. Fans expected the Tar Heels to post about it immediately. Instead, silence.
The first UNC football tweet didn't arrive until just before 10 a.m. ET on Monday, when the program shared a video comparing one of Maye's throws against Buffalo to a similar play from his college days against Pitt.
.@DrakeMaye2 pulling off some magic, where have we seen this before 🤔
🔟➡️8️⃣ pic.twitter.com/qTd8sqorsc
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 6, 2025
Ross Martin of 247Sports reported that UNC staffers had been told not to post or retweet anything related to the Patriots. "According to sources inside the UNC football program, it is a directive from the staff (Bill Belichick) to not tweet/retweet anything Patriots-related," Martin wrote.
The claim fits Belichick's style. He admitted just last month that he doesn't allow Patriots scouts to visit North Carolina's facility. The 73-year-old called it a "simple" explanation at the time, but the move was widely viewed as another Belichick power play.
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
Meanwhile, UNC's account was quick to celebrate Javonte Williams on Sunday after his two-touchdown day for Dallas. Either the person running the Tar Heels' X account was late, or Belichick eased off after realizing how it looked. Given his NFL history, the latter seems far more likely.
