Mike Vrabel says Bill Belichick remains welcome in New England despite UNC's ban of Patriots coaches

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) —

Bill Belichick doesn't want to see any of the New England Patriots' coaching staff in the facility at North Carolina.

The former NFL and current Tar Heels coach confirmed as much when asked about a report by The Athletic last week that said North Carolina's football program had banned a Patriots scout from attending practices this summer.

“It’s clear I’m not welcomed in their facility, so they aren’t welcomed in ours," Belichick said. “Simple as that.”

But Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that nobody is keeping Belichick away from his old NFL stomping grounds.

“Nothing surprises me,” Vrabel said during his weekly appearance on WEEI's “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday. “I would imagine that Bill, I mean, he came back for — the best of my knowledge — Tom (Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame) ceremony. So I guess he’s welcomed back, based on the fact that he was there.

“So I’ll just go by that. Since his departure as the head coach here, he’s been back. And I’ll leave it at that.”

Belichick coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins during his 24 seasons in New England, before agreeing to part ways with the franchise in January 2024.

While it's true that Belichick did show up at Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame induction and was one of the presenters during the “Roast of Tom Brady” on Netflix, Belichick's departure has seemingly created some hard feelings.

Belichick's college coaching tenure in North Carolina got off to a rocky start, with the Tar Heels losing 48-18 at home to TCU. UNC bounced back with a 20-3 win at Charlotte on Saturday.

The Patriots are 4-14 since Belichick's departure.

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