The Full Story Behind the Bill Belichick vs. Patriots Social Media Beef

Bill Belichick will forever be a New England Patriots legend and one of the most important people in franchise history after his iconic head-coaching tenure that lasted for 24 years.

But it's safe to say things have been better between the AFC East team and its former head coach.

Be it frosty appearances at comedy roasts, reported tension with team owner Robert Kraft or issues with Patriots scouts visiting North Carolina's football program, the Tar Heels' new head coach might not be getting any holiday cards from his former employer.

The latest development came Monday when a report indicated Belichick does not want North Carolina's social media teams sharing Patriots content, which is notable since former Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye is playing well in New England this season.

Here is a look at a timeline of tension involving Belichick and the Patriots.

Jan. 11, 2024: Patriots and Belichick Part Ways

Belichick and Kraft held a joint press conference following the 2023 NFL season in which the team and coach announced they were parting ways after a tenure that included nine Super Bowl appearances, six Lombardi Trophies and a 266-121 record.

He exited as arguably the greatest coach in NFL history and a key figure, alongside quarterback Tom Brady, in a modern-day dynasty. He also said during the press conference, "for me, this is a day of gratitude and celebration."

While it was framed as a mutual parting of ways, Kraft said during an October 2024 appearance on The Breakfast Club, "I kept him for 24 years. I didn't enjoy having to fire him, but if you look at the press conference and how it happened, I tried to do it in a classy way."

Kraft also highlighted some of the struggles in the post-Brady era, as Belichick went 12-22 in his final two seasons as Patriots head coach.

However, Belichick said in an April 2025 interview with Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings, "It was a mutual decision." 

Post-Patriots Exit: Reporting on Uneasy Relationship Between Kraft and Belichick

Matt Geagan and Dan Roche of CBS Boston reported in September that the relationship between Belichick and Kraft has "been quite frosty" since the coach's dismissal.

ESPN's Mike Reiss released an extensive report shortly after Belichick's exit that detailed a deteriorating relationship between the two. Reiss cited a team source who said, "I don't know what happened to that relationship, but it doesn't seem to be in as great of a place as it used to be."

Reiss also called Brady's decision to continue playing in the spring of 2020 "perhaps the most seismic shift for the Kraft-Belichick pairing" since the team owner "ultimately had to pick one." That Brady went on to win a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while Belichick struggled in the years without his star quarterback only magnifies that decision in hindsight.

The report also highlighted that Kraft's "latitude" for the head coach "slowly eroded since Brady's departure," including when the Patriots publicly announced defensive assistant Jerod Mayo was going to remain with the franchise.

"Multiple sources familiar with Belichick's thinking relayed that he was uneasy with Kraft empowering Mayo that way—positioning him as the heir apparent and creating a dynamic that potentially undercut Belichick's authority and team culture," Reiss reported.

May 5, 2024: Awkward Interaction at Tom Brady Roast

Both Belichick and Kraft appeared and spoke at Netflix's roast of Brady, which led to arguably the most memorable moment of the evening.

Host Kevin Hart brought the two together and even convinced them to take a shot together:

While Kraft called Belichick "the greatest coach in the history of the game," the head coach didn't exactly look thrilled with the situation despite some of the jokes he previously told during the event.

April 27, 2025: Belichick Confirms Kraft Not Mentioned in Book

Ahead of the release of his book, The Art of Winning, Belichick confirmed during the interview with CBS Mornings (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk) he did not mention Kraft in the text or even the acknowledgements section.

"It's about my life lessons in football, and it's really more about the ones I experienced directly," he said when asked about Kraft's absence from the book.

Sept. 3, 2025: Kraft Announces Patriots Will Raise Belichick Statue

Kraft announced ahead of the Patriots' 2025 season that the team will place a statue of Belichick outside Gillette Stadium and near the one of Brady after the coach retires.

"When that great 20-year era ended, it was always my intention to commission a statue for both Tommy and Bill when their respective careers were over, playing and coaching," Kraft said. "When Bill's coaching career ends, we look forward to sitting down with him and having a statue made to be right next to Tommy."

The comments came the month after New England revealed the Brady one:

Sept. 4, 2025: UNC Reportedly Refuses to Allow Patriots' Staff Access

ESPN's Kalyn Kahler reported last month that the North Carolina football program banned Patriots staff members from visiting with the program.

According to Kahler, Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi and pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain told Patriots scouts they were banned just one day before a scheduled visit in August. Two scouts who work for different teams also said North Carolina offers limited access to any league personnel.

Belichick then told reporters two days later, "It's clear I'm not welcome there at their facility. So they're not welcome at ours."

Oct. 6, 2025: Belichick Reportedly Tells UNC to Avoid Patriots Posts

Ross Martin of 247Sports reported Monday that Belichick told the North Carolina program not to post or reshare Patriots content.

The report generated plenty of reaction since Maye just led New England to an impressive road win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. North Carolina eventually posted something about his performance approximately two hours following the report:

Andrew Jones of 247Sports noted the Tar Heels previously shared a Maye highlight from New England's Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and two from its Week 2 win over the Miami Dolphins but had not publicly acknowledged the quarterback since then until Monday's post.