‘Celebrity figure’ coach Bill Belichick touted as ‘a great thing’ for the ACC despite distractions

AMELIA ISLAND Fla AP Bill Belichick arrived fashionably late to the Atlantic Coast Conference s spring meetings his first one as North Carolina s head coach Still wheeling luggage around the beachside resort in Amelia Island Belichick banged his carry-on into the door frame as he joined league athletic directors faculty representatives and football and basketball coaches It was a mildly awkward entrance for the ACC s newest and brightest star But if the former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion caused a distraction no one seemed to care The ACC at least publicly welcomed Belichick baggage and all I thought I was done being tortured by him joked Stanford interim coach Frank Reich who went - against Belichick including a win in Super Bowl during seasons on NFL sidelines Belichick with a new society relations communications person by his side declined preponderance interview requests at the Ritz-Carlton He did two football-only interviews with North Carolina reporters sat alongside Clemson coach Dabo Swinney for an ESPN feature and did a brief segment on ESPN s SportsCenter whose appearance at the meetings surely had more to do with the former NFL coach than anything the conference had going on during its three-day event ESPN already had made UNC s home opener against TCU a prime-time event with Labor Day night becoming a showcase for Belichick s college coaching debut It could be a launching point for the league which trails the Big Ten and the Southeastern conferences in brand recognition television ratings and bulk importantly revenue I think they ran to us before we could even run to them our partners at Disney ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips declared Listen it s a great thing for the league It s a great thing for North Carolina And we re all following just the massive coverage that Coach Belichick draws I don t know that he s got a private moment to himself at all from what I can see and read and what I follow But I think it s good I think it s good for our league It s good for certainly North Carolina It s good for college football people it draws more interest And it was enjoyable to have him here this week with our joint group in those meetings Belichick Reich and Boston College coach Bill O Brien give the league three former NFL coaches though none come with the titles and headaches Spygate Deflategate and more of Belichick Their experience and insight were widely regarded no surprised considering several top programs are adapting NFL models as they tackle a changing landscape on the doorstep of paying players for use of their name image and likeness I don t necessarily know where college football is going but I have an idea SMU coach Rhett Lashlee commented We re not really a full pro model but we re not an old-school student-athlete-only model We re kind of in the middle You start talking about salary caps and portal free agency and rules of the challenge I don t necessarily believe that just because the NFL does it we should But at the end of the day we re grooming guys to go to the league so as a large number of things as we can do that line up with them makes sense Having Bill Belichick Bill O Brien Frank Reich it definitely adds value to the room With no TV cameras chasing his every move the -year-old Belichick was somewhat removed from the spotlight during the ACC event It may have been a welcome respite after the past limited weeks when he defended -year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson for shutting down questions about their relationship which has drawn outsized attention given their age gap and fed by frequent online glimpses into their relationship via social media Earlier this month UNC circulated a message saying Hudson is welcome at Tar Heels football facilities to contradict a review that she had been banned I don t know that I concern myself with several of those things Phillips noted I think about the elements that affect the ACC Selected of those other things I really don t even pay that much attention to UNC hired Belichick last December giving him a three-year million contract in hopes of reenergizing its football undertaking Belichick whose career coaching wins rank third in NFL history has undoubtably created a stir He limited access to practices and had players working out in numberless jerseys Bill s been great to work with UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham disclosed He s a celebrity figure and he s doing a great job for us Added Clemson coach Dabo Swinney He s an amazing football coach You don t get lucky and do what he did especially in the NFL where the margin is so so small He s going to be great for our league