The saga that is the relationship between Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots took yet another turn on Saturday night.

Following his North Carolina Tar Heels' 20-3 win over the Charlotte 49ers, the head coach confirmed recent reporting that he had banned the Patriots and their scouts from attending his team's practices.

"It's clear that I'm not welcome there, around their facility," Belichick explained when asked about the ban. "And so they're not welcome at ours. It's pretty simple."

Here's a video of his answer:

It's an interesting response from BB. Belichick was not banned from the Patriots' Foxborough facilities. He was fired—er, parted ways, by the team after three below. 500 seasons in four years following the departure of Tom Brady. In fact, it's been made pretty clear that he is welcome in New England. Not only did Belichick attend Brady's Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony—and give a killer speech—last June, but owner Robert Kraft said last week that he intends to build a statue of him next to Brady's in the Gillette Stadium plaza once he's done coaching.

Additionally, Belichick and UNC general manager Michael Lombardi have done their best to label their new program "the 33rd NFL team", explaining that they plan to provide professional-quality nutrition, training, and coaching as a way to be a pipeline to the next level.

Banning NFL scouts who could potentially have interest in their players is a direct contradiction of that.

Bill Belichick's Relationship with Robert Kraft, Patriots

Belichick, Kraft, and the Patriots have been trading blows ever since they parted ways back in January of 2024. While it was deemed "mutual" at the time, Kraft told The Breakfast Club last October that he fired Belichick but "tried to do it in a classy way."

Then, after Kraft told the Dudes on Dudes podcast with Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski this summer that he took a "big risk" hiring Belichick back in 2000, the coach decided to respond, telling ESPN that it was him who took a risk when joining the Patriots:

"As I told Robert multiple times through the years, I took a big risk by taking the New England Patriots head coaching job," Belichick told Don Van Natta Jr. in July. "I already had an opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Jets, but the ownership situation was unstable."

Kraft did take the high road this week when saying he'd welcome the idea of a Belichick statue at Patriot Place. Belichick, however, has decided to remain petty.

We'll be sure to keep you updated at the next inevitable turn.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bill Belichick Confirms Patriots Scouts Are Banned From North Carolina.

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