The idea that everyone is born to do something and they are always going to find a way to do that thing has persevered throughout history. Donald Trump insists that West Virginians yearn for the mines. Taylor Swift declared that the players are “gonna play, play, play, play, play.” People define themselves by what they do.
Let’s talk about Bill Belichick.
The former Patriots coach had a hell of a week last week, enduring a series of jabs and jokes at the expense of his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. Those came from shows on national platforms or based in New England, where he is still an icon.
I live in North Carolina, and while we all raised an eyebrow at the CBS Sunday Morning interview like the rest of you, we also couldn’t help but notice that the head football coach at the University of North Carolina doesn’t seem to want anything to do with the University of North Carolina. Not wearing team gear in interviews is strange enough behavior for a college football coach, but wearing ANOTHER team’s gear?
That brings me to a question about not just Bill Belichick, but other coaches that left the sidelines, earned praise for their work in the media, and still decided to return to coaching — why?
Look at the deals ESPN, CBS, and FOX are signing NFL analysts to these days! Surely Belichick could have maintained his lifestyle, made something close to his $10 million UNC salary, and enjoyed much more privacy. At the very least, if he and Hudson wanted to live out loud, they would not have invited the added scrutiny that comes with being a state employee and having to comply with open records requests.
Be Bill Cowher, Not Jon Gruden
Since he left the Steelers, think about how many times Bill Cowher’s name has been connected to NFL coaching vacancies. I can’t say how seriously he entertained any one offer, but he always came to the conclusion that he had a pretty good thing going at CBS.
There was a time that Jon Gruden had a really good thing going on Monday Night Football. He was at the top of the ESPN payroll and, for nine years, was the star of the network’s single most important property. He had become such an authoritative voice on football that many forgot that after winning a Super Bowl, he ran the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so deeply into the ground that the team would not be able to come up for air for more than a decade.
Gruden’s name came up for jobs during his entire tenure at ESPN. After resisting a number of overtures, he finally gave in and, in 2018, came back to the league as the head coach of the Oakland (soon to be Las Vegas) Raiders.
It didn’t go great. Not only did the Raiders do very little winning, there was also that cache of homophobic, misogynistic, and just plain vulgar emails that cost him his job. Sure, he eventually landed on his feet at Barstool, but it probably cost him the opportunity to ever work in an official capacity on an NFL sideline or broadcast again.
Cowher saw broadcasting for what it was. He was paid well, it kept him close to the game, and it enhanced his legacy as a great football mind. Gruden came into the job looking at it as a stopover.
Even after nearly a decade in the industry, he still looked at what many consider an inept organization and a bad roster and chose that over being at the center of one of the biggest franchises in TV history.
But, I’m a Legend!
Belichick’s decision to become the coach of the Tar Heels isn’t just baffling because of what has transpired. It also feels like we’ve seen this exact scenario play out before.
Urban Meyer the college football coach and Urban Meyer the broadcaster are both really good at what they do. After a college football career that saw him secure three national titles and two of his players take home Heisman Trophies, Meyer retired and found a home on FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff. His pedigree and expertise were put front and center in the network’s new college football identity.
Big Noon Kickoff has never overtook ESPN’s College GameDay, but it has made steady gains, and Meyer’s ability to break down plays and explain what he was seeing on film was often cited as a reason for people to make the switch.
Then along came the Jacksonville Jaguars.
They hired Urban Meyer to be their coach, and before a single game was even played in 2020, he was embarrassing the franchise. He is, for my money, the single worst coach in NFL history. Not only was he not good at the job, he seemed to openly despise it.
It’s pure arrogance to think that college success should make NFL success easy — or vice versa. The sport may be the same, but they are two entirely different industries. Belichick doesn’t seem particularly interested in the day-to-day of college football. How will things be any different for him in Chapel Hill than they were for Urban Meyer in Jacksonville?
Meyer, to be fair, learned his lesson pretty quickly. He landed back at FOX, and the next year when Nebraska kicked the tires on him during their coaching search, he politely declined. Maybe Meyer’s name will always be mud to football fans outside of Ohio, but he was savvy enough to recognize that the best way to change that was on television.
Can Belichick’s Mistake Be Undone?
Could Bill Belichick bow out of this thing before we get to UNC’s game against TCU on September 1? Of course! His contract at UNC is structured in such a way that after June 1, his buyout drops to $1 million. That would make it very easy to leave Chapel Hill. Now, to be fair, I always thought this was a hustle designed to get Steve Belichick his first head coaching job. I did not have “Belichick and Jordon Hudson embarrassing the university so frequently that UNC is the one that may choose to cut bait” on my bingo card.
For the sake of argument, let’s say that happens. Could Bill Belichick return to the media? He is a big fish in the very small pond of qualified and desirable candidates for an NFL TV analyst role.
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Belichick is a punchline right now, but this is a six-time Super Bowl champion who showed real promise with his very unique professional footprint last year.
Maybe his BFF Nick Saban could grease the wheels for him at ESPN. One GOAT going to bat for another may be the only way for Belichick to fast-forward through this public humiliation, but I would argue that he would have to be in a structured situation. The “we’re just hanging out” shows like Pat McAfee and The Manningcast offer too many opportunities for his colleagues to make him the butt of the joke. He can’t afford that right now.
Bill Belichick is smart. I am sure he could rattle off a long list of names that went from the sideline to the broadcast booth successfully, then decided to return to the sideline and failed. I bet he could also recognize that Jimmy Johnson, Brian Billick, and Tony Dungy all did very well in the media after their championship coaching careers came to an end.
But Bill Belichick is arrogant too. He was convinced that the cautionary tales did not apply to him. He could do this — and do it recklessly. It’s just the ACC and he’s Bill Belichick! How hard could it be?
There are plenty of lessons to be learned here. First, if you’re a legendary football coach in your 70s and you want to date a 24-year-old, find one that isn’t trying to be more famous than you. Second, consider what it is you really want.
If the answer is the respect of your colleagues and to make good money, broadcasting is a damn good life. It keeps you close to the game, and every week you are glorified as an expert in an industry America cannot get enough of.
And if Bill Belichick ever wondered if he could make the same money in the broadcast booth that he could as North Carolina’s football coach, all he ever had to do was pick up the phone and call his old quarterback.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
