On Friday, redshirt senior running back Caleb Hood announced his retirement from the North Carolina football program. The retirement came amid serious turmoil under first-year head coach Bill Belichick.
In his statement on Friday, Hood publicly thanked Belichick and his staff. Still, the timing of the retirement was unusual, as it doesn’t align with the profile of a fifth-year senior quitting football with less than two months to play.
Per a report by WRAL, part of the culture problem at North Carolina is that Belichick’s staff gives preferential treatment to players they recruited over players left over from the Mack Brown era.
“According to several sources, some Belichick-recruited transfers have preferential parking for themselves and their parents, as well as more tickets for games,” via WRAL.
“According to sources, there’s a board in the UNC football facility that lists people who have missed workouts and class. Some Belichick-recruited players repeatedly show up on the list but have not had their playing time affected.”
Did Bill Belichick’s North Carolina turn its back on loyal players?
In recent years, abuse in the transfer portal has become a major complaint of head coaches and fans of college football. Fans, in particular, don’t like the idea that players are paid mercenaries, with no real ties to the school they play for.
It’s a legitimate problem with college sports right now, and something that should be addressed for the longevity of the institution of college sports. However, programs like North Carolina aren’t making the case that schools have any loyalty to student-athletes.
Players like Hood, who remained loyal to the Tar Heels, were given no dignity by the administration that hired Belichick (possibly illegally). The new staff has isolated student-athletes who remained loyal to UNC.
No one wants to see players transfer every season to the highest bidder. But the problem isn’t a one-way street. Institutions are all too willing to trample on student-athletes when they believe they can make a buck.
In North Carolina’s case, that has backfired spectacularly up to this point.
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