Bill Belichick says he’s not looking to leave North Carolina job

By BOB SUTTON CHAPEL HILL N C AP Bill Belichick has denied reports that he s been seeking an exit strategy from his North Carolina coaching role Various of the reports out last week about my looking for a buyout and trying to leave here and all that is categorically false Belichick revealed Monday during his first general comments since a blowout loss to Clemson Glad I m here Working toward our goals and the process Next up for the Tar Heels - - Atlantic Coast Conference is Friday night s tournament at Cal - - During the second of two off weeks in a three-week span the subject of Belichick s status and future with the Tar Heels was a hot topic so much so that last Wednesday the university disclosed brief statements from the coach and athletics director Bubba Cunningham reaffirming commitments between Belichick and the school It s a learning curve Belichick declared Monday We re all in it together but we re making a lot of progress On Monday there was double the media turnout compared to Belichick s normal game-week availability University chancellor Lee Roberts also attended along with high-ranking bureaucrats in the athletics department With only one event during a span of nearly a month it has allowed off-field drama to command plenty of attention Yet Belichick was spotted attending a high school contest Friday night perhaps an indication of normal in-season functions in terms of recruiting Belichick mentioned the scheme has approximately high school players committed for the next recruiting class Results on event days haven t given Tar Heels fans much reason to be encouraged Obviously we re all a little frustrated with the results but the only thing we can do is continue to work and improve Belichick commented We ve made a lot of progress Right now unfortunately the scoreboard doesn t reflect that but I m confident that it will The former Super Bowl-winning coach disputed suggestions that there s division within the crew and a lack of progress We ve made a lot of improvements Belichick explained I think that s exciting for all of us to see certainly for the individual players to see it in the units that they work with So I don t know what kind of perspective various of those people have that are saying that Offensive lineman Christo Kelly who talked about the crew coming together and buying into the process commented the Tar Heels shouldn t be bothered by reports regarding Belichick Certain of that outside noise stuff doesn t affect what we do day in and day out Kelly revealed Belichick referred to the Tar Heels as a developmental campaign calling them similar to other teams he has overseen I ve been involved in a lot of programs where things started and where things ended up are honestly where they should go he reported Belichick is in the first year of a deal that guarantees million in base and supplemental pay for each of the next two seasons Band general manager Michael Lombardi a former NFL executive who s largely a partner with Belichick in this college endeavor is making million for each of the next two seasons Belichick defended Lombardi who has been the subject of criticism stemming from particular local media reports I think Michael has done a great job of keeping the people close to the Carolina undertaking up to date in what we re doing what our process is Belichick mentioned We re all working together We re all learning together North Carolina has been blown out in three games against power conference opponents including a - belting from Clemson in the majority modern battle that resulted in a largely empty stadium in the second half The Tar Heels surrendered first-quarter points in that event Running back Caleb Hood stated last week that he was ending his playing career Belichick disclosed he had a conversation with Hood similar to ones he has had with multiple athletes through the years Related Articles Big Ten power rankings Ohio State Indiana on top as UCLA offers evidence it s serious about the coaching search Pac- rankings Oregon State fires Trent Bray Boise St Wazzu on top San Jose State takeaways All systems collapse in Wyoming after promising start Saturday Night Five Oregon tumbles USC rises UCLA rolls and the Big Ten goes off the rails San Jose State blows -point fourth-quarter lead falls - to Wyoming in wild finish For him it was time so I respect that Belichick commented There was a light moment Monday when Belichick was sought about a phone call he made to ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit during the weekend He mentioned he was answering a text sent by Herbstreit though the timing wasn t ideal I didn t realize he was on the air the coach announced Also last week the school stated that cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins has been placed on suspension for violating rules connected to improper benefits He s on leave while the school further investigates other probable actions detrimental to the unit and school This comes following months-long tabloid-level interest involving Belichick s -year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson who has been on the sidelines prior to games