Bill Belichick welcome at Patriots facility, Mike Vrabel says after UNC coach bans New England scouts

Belichick said neither he nor the Patriots were welcome at each other's facilities

Bill Belichick made his feelings towards his former employer known when he confirmed that New England Patriots scouts are prohibited from visiting his North Carolina program. His reasoning for closing the doors was that the Patriots made it clear to him that he is not welcome back at their facility in Massachusetts. That comment, however, raised some eyebrows around New England. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Monday that, to the best of his knowledge, Belichick is, in fact, welcome to visit and that the eight-time Super Bowl champion has been back since his exit in January 2024.

ESPN's Kalyn Kaher reported last week that UNC limits NFL scouts to watch just three practice periods and that they are not allowed to speak with coaches or staffers. CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz confirmed the report that Patriots scouts were not allowed to visit Chapel Hill at all.

"Nothing surprises me," Vrabel said on his weekly WEEI appearance. "I would imagine that Bill, I mean, he came back for, to the best of my knowledge, Tom's ceremony. So I guess he's welcome back based on the fact that he was there. I'll just go by that. Since his departure as the head coach here, he's been back. I'll leave it at that."

The ceremony Vrabel mentioned was Tom Brady's induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Belichick was on hand at Gillette Stadium for the event and even delivered a speech. That was on June 12, 2024, about five months after Belichick's departure.

When asked about the Patriots' ban after UNC's 20-3 victory over Charlotte in Week 2, Belichick gave a succinct answer.

"It's clear I'm not welcome there at their facility. So they're not welcome at ours," Belichick said.

Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft do not have the most outwardly friendly relationship. Kraft, however, confirmed last week that he plans to build a statue of the legendary coach outside Gillette Stadium and that he "looks forward" to sitting down with Belichick and placing his statue next to that of Brady.

The final stanzas of Belichick's tenure in New England came with unprecedented struggles by his standards as the Patriots tumbled out of perennial Super Bowl contention. Belichick and the franchise mutually agreed to part ways after the 2023 season, and after taking a year off from coaching, he stunningly agreed to take the UNC job ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Belichick opened his college football coaching career with a blowout loss to TCU but bounced back in Week 2 with his first victory with the Tar Heels.