The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: Seth Wickersham on Bill Belichick's "F*** You" to the NFL

Episode Date: December 12, 2024

Seth Wickersham has dropped a new piece reporting on how Bill Belichick has ended up at North Carolina, which in our world is as exciting as Kendrick Lamar dropping a new album. The legend himself joins the show to discuss his reporting and how Belichick became "disenchanted" with the NFL, leading him to pursue a job in the college ranks. Is this sad? What could be the future involvement of private equity in college football, and could Michael Jordan, Nike and Bill Belichick take over college football through the University of North Carolina? Can you actually see Bill Belichick going into living rooms and recruiting? Does Nick Saban have more rizz than his mentor? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You're listening to DraftKings Network. Welcome to the Big Sui, presented by DraftKings. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan LeBattard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables to grab somebody's fries

that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys? I've done it. And now here's the marching man to nowhere, fat face and the habitual liar. Are there many things like this that I can say in the modern media age? Because I don't think that there are a lot of Seth Wickershams out there.

And we're in the information business. But when Ronan Farrow does something, I want to pay attention to what Ronan Farrow does. And when there's news around the Patriots, Seth Wickersham is your guy. He and Don Van Nata, Pulitzer Prize winner, have investigated like the innards of excellence of all Patriots things, including Jerry Jones spitefully as a high schooler keeping Bob Kraft out of the Hall of Fame just because it's funny. These guys have done the real reporting about a private organization, and I just received a notification new seth

wickersham piece on belichick just dropped and i ask you guys wickersham is dropping now music he's dropping the that their pieces and they drop wickersham has arrived at pieces like this is between wold's by this is before wold's bomb it's not a Shams bomb, but when a piece has dropped. This is like the new Kendrick dropping for sports news. It is, correct? Wickersham. For sure. The new Wickersham just came out.

And the headline of the story on ESPN says, sickened by the politics of the NFL, Belichick aims for a college restart. And what I want to know is, after this, who's going to write all the think pieces about no one wanting to work in the NFL anymore? Because when Jeff Hathley went to the NFL last year, he was like, no one wants to work in college football,

these jobs are too hard, who would ever want to be a college football coach and now build Belchick's like me? Bill, if that's the spin, then maybe this isn't gonna work out. If you were sickened by the politics in the NFL, then hold on. I thought you knew what you were getting yourself into

and kind of reveling in it. This is, no, no, no, no, no. This is dirtier than you can even imagine, if that's the case. We're gonna get Wickersham on here in a second to talk about this, but I really do think that Mike just brought up something fascinating that hasn't turned a light on for me

as a business opportunity since we were talking in 2009 and being like why wouldn't LeBron and Wade and Bosch get together and just have a lot of fun playing basketball if they're all free agents at the same time it seems like that would be fun as a business opportunity Michael Jordan end of his career tried with the Last Dance last dance to remind you who he was. A disaster as an owner. In basketball. As an owner, very successful. Solid NASCAR owner trying to actually change the sport.

Solid Hornets owner. Terrible. In return? What are you talking about? Terms of on-court success. Terrible. if you don't tell your return not where what do you talk terms of on court success terrible success yes yes made money good for business but if Belichick were to team up with Jordan on the restoration of the North Carolina program because Belichick could Nike it up because Belichick I mean what how hard is it for two guys of that kind of excellence, two people in that sphere,

to team up on something to make North Carolina matter when Jordan's ending on sports legacy was never supposed to be about just money. It was supposed to have some winning in it. I don't know what I'm doing where I think Bill Belichick's odds of getting Jordan more engaged on the football program are higher than Larry Fedora's, but I just kind of believe that because he can talk to him from like a goat to goat level that no one has at least in the football program, but Roy Williams has been able to talk to Michael Jordan that way. There is a level of frustration that he does plenty, but not

enough. Can he do more? I got to believe in my heart of hearts that Michael Jordan's going to be a little bit more engaged, and that helps. You think Jordan will have the epiphany, oh God, it's Spellichek, the best ever, now I'm gonna give. I do, I kind of believe that, without knowing either of them, I kind of believe it.

I don't actually, I think both of you are thinking of it too small. Jordan, giant of giants, Nike, giant of giants. When Phil Knight wanted into college football, what he did is he was benefactor to Oregon football, and he made it what it was. In the new evolution of where Michael Jordan wants to compete for dollars or in sports,

being the owner of the North Carolina program, however it is you can consort with your Nike people and Belichick to build a giant, vibrant, nuclear sports thing in North Carolina program, however it is you can consort with your Nike people and Belichick to build a giant vibrant nuclear sports thing in North Carolina. Like there's a giant business opportunity here for everybody. Well now you're talking about something different which is former sports owners and look even Saudi public fund have kind of poked around. Can we have equity and buy your brand, your college basketball program, your college football program. David knows a little bit more about this,

certainly, than I do, but it seems as though this is all heading in that direction. And Mike Jordan is looking at it like, I get equity in this program? David, why wouldn't all of these entities team up, Nike, Michael Jordan, Bill Belichick, to get North Carolina to the top? Well, Nike's conflicted out. They can only buy Oregon, apparently. I know, but I'm saying Michael Jordan, Bill Belichick to get North Carolina to the top. Well, Nike's conflicted out.

They can only buy Oregon, apparently. I know, but I'm saying Michael Jordan through his, through, look, he's got a whole different arm of Nike. Michael Jordan allegiance. Could Michael Jordan not? Let me ask you this. I give you right now access to Michael Jordan. And I tell you, Michael Jordan wants to be a successful sports owner, wants to still compete,

wants to make money in racing and a lot of other places, and he would like to invest in North Carolina football in a way that makes him feel like a part owner of North Carolina football. How do you, as an agent, make all of that happen? Because I think there's a giant business opportunity here for Michael Jordan to be ahead of where college football is headed instead of behind it. And the problem that you're dismissing is that

when he takes over when he gets into NASCAR he gets into a lawsuit because he's not making the money that he wanted to make and the France family is so he's willing to file an antitrust suit because of the business not because he doesn't feel he's in a position to win a race. He's not in a position to monetize what he has. UNC, there's a ton of money being poured into it. That doesn't mean it's profitable. As a matter of fact, I would argue that the loss position they have as an entity is larger now,

because their expenses. Yeah, but if anyone knows the benefits of not being profitable and then still making tons of money, it's David Sampson. Hell yeah. In the end. So let's talk about the private equity aspect because I happen to know conferences as a whole have been talking about private equity but this isn't yet allowed yet all these conversations

are happening and all these billionaires are poking around these individual programs wondering if they can get a piece. How does this go forward? Why are these talks even allowed right now? Oh, it's coming because these teams and conferences do need money. And so take a look what's happening. The Saudi Investment Fund, they're about to do a deal with the PGA,

a huge investment into that alongside Fenway Sports Group. You've got individuals and private equity funds that got into the NFL just approved yesterday with the bills and with the dolphins just yesterday. And now you're seeing college there in the market but they don't have a value yet. Pro teams have the value. They have not been able to separate out college programs

because they're funding all the- I don't feel like you've answered my question. I make you right now Michael Jordan's agent and I tell you that the task is to make Michael Jordan the owner of the North Carolina football program. Some form of it, whatever's allowed now. How do you go about doing that? I'll give you the pathway,

except he's had the pathway before Belichick. The pathway is you start as an investor, you start to have operational control, you start to be in charge of who will be the decision makers, and then you make an investment where then eventually it leads to ownership once that's approvable. But it's not a business right now. Not right now, not yet, but it's about to be.

I want a new insider around here, Mike Ryan's. I happen to know. I happen to know the way it's delivered has just enough arrogance in it, it's also he's telling you You've got to trust me on my credibility And if I'm telling you I happen to know something this I'm presenting you with a fact that it's a reported Informational fact he's also telling whoever he's talking to that you don't know Like I happen to know is basically saying whoever I'm talking to you don't know what you're talking

No, you you may know what you're talking about But you don't know the way I know where I happen, you may know what you're talking about, but you don't know the way I know, where I happen to know it in a way that makes me right. And you may also be right, but you might be wrong. No, you're not right. I'm right. You might be right on whatever you think, but you're also occasionally wrong,

but I happen to know, has a weight to it, that you were arrogant in, what was the information you were giving us again that came behind, I happen to know has a weight to it that you were arrogant in what was the information you were giving us again that came behind I happen to know conferences are talking about it had in it and I happen to know it had it known it for a very well-known fact no but here's here's what it had sat on that one for Roy Roy tell me tell me if I'm right here Mike Ryan's I happen to know was delivered with sort of the whiff the scent of I've talked to a conference commissioner here and there in the shadows it had a it had a it had a whiff of I talked to people in corners more

than you do or you would also happen to know yeah I can smell it from the bedroom it had he was in the kitchen what else did you smell in there? I smelled, I smelled some cocktails and talking about NIL money with UM boosters. It smells like a wet cave, Nosferatu by Heretic. Eww, doesn't smell good. No, but like a pleasant wet cave. Look, it lingers.

I don't wanna smell. Like cheese. He's wearing a Tom Brady shirt. It's very off-putting. By the way, I'm reading Seth Wicker's sham story right now. That was hard to say. Very good. I- Bill, he definitely wanted to coach in the NFL, Dan, but guess what? The Bears don't want him. That was the best option according to Seth.

Don't ruin all of Seth Wickersham's reporting. Can I- can I reveal something? I was believing Taylor wholeheartedly last week, and then I was reaching out to some NFL sources. I'm like, guys, I'm pretty plugged into North Carolina. If you want this bill Bellatrix thing to happen, I don't think this is a leverage play I think it's pretty serious and then he went to North Carolina Yeah, you and Taylor were talking in the shadows you had it a week ago, but didn't tell anybody It's the way that metal arc does breaking news talks about it over The metal arc media way we The mental art media way. We've got to be prepared.

The eating area. No, Sir God's reported it four hours before everybody else. What a great slogan. We keep big news to ourselves. But I do happen to know conferences are talking about that. Yeah, yeah, okay, enough with your happen to know. And they've poked around individual programs. They poke around every single program.

This is not a unique thing. Everyone's got a private equity firm on line one, ready for that moment. Taylor and Scott's had it four hours before ESPN. Taylor had it a week ago. He was cutting off sweatshirts, sleeves. Taylor knew, look, Taylor knew before Belichick's agent reached out to him. Like, Taylor knew and he was in on it, but we just didn't tell anybody. So Seth Wickersham, Seth Wickersham has gone to places because he gets news and he shares it with us and he doesn't keep it to himself and I was informed

that a new Seth Wickersham piece on Belichick just dropped and I'm wondering Wickersham have you gotten used to your pieces now just dropping I don't know who else in sports media has the distinction there are Wojbombs there are Shams bombs, what are Schefter's things called. Pieces don't drop in our business anymore. I think maybe I should go the Taylor route. I don't know. I don't think that you want to hide under my desk and I can just prop you up every time you got a scoop. I love that. Jessica, what have you read that's interesting in the pieces you're trying to catch up?

Because he is our foremost Patriots reporting authority. Yes, Seth, hello. Nice to see you again. It's been a minute. Seems like this was something that came about after Belichick was around a lot of college programs with his son this past year and maybe initially wanted to be back in the NFL but doesn't seem like it's a real option.

So at what point did he finally sort of like start making the choice in his head like, hey, I could actually be a college football head coach. Like what was the timeline of that? Yeah, it came about about midway through the season and it's been interesting. So every week, Balachek and a lot of his former assistants in New England, all of whom are, you know, out of the coaching world right now, would meet on zoom and they would go through, you know, every game and every team

in the NFL, you know, schematically, salary wise, injury wise, whatever trends they could spot. And it was all with the design of what jobs might be available, what jobs might be interested in Bill, and would Bill find them appealing. It's been kind of a rough, you know, 2024 for Bill. I mean, he was fired in New England. The dynasty series on Apple kind of roundly dismissed, you know, his contributions to the Patriots greatness. He wasn't able to get any of the jobs that were available in January.

It only got one interview. And I think that as he sort of surveyed the landscape and looked at the possible situations that he might be a candidate for and what he would be walking into, college began to look more attractive where he would have more space and more autonomy to run a program his way. And I think if we've learned anything about Bill Belichick over the years, it's that when at a crossroads he will do and take decisive action to take control of his career. And I think that's what he did here. Wickersham, give us the best info in your piece.

You get the reported stuff that no one else gets. What do you have that is the most interesting around this stuff that other people don't have? Jessica's busy reading it. I haven't, it just dropped. I haven't been able to get to it. So just give me the good stuff. Well, I mean, there's people familiar with this thinking

who think this is a big F-U to the NFL and that he had grown disenchanted and disgusted was a word that I had been told with the way that NFL teams are being run and the hiring decisions that these owners are making. I mean, this is an eight time Super Bowl champion who it was unclear whether he was going to get a job this past, you know, this next coming off season.

And yes, he's got strikes against him his age, you know, his record without Tom Brady the way the league is kind of generally trending but you can't take his his stature and his accomplishments away from him. And look, he would go on TV and go on his podcast and talk about all of these really basic screw ups that were happening in the NFL each week. These people who had jobs that he didn't have mostly in the game management and clock management situations,

the situational football that he all but pioneered and mastered. And, you know, he's, he can handle some of these situations like the end of the Bears-Lions game in his sleep. And yet he was having to describe for the masses exactly in excruciating detail, all of these screw ups. and I think that there was just something about the NFL that he had grown disenchanted with over the past year. That's really what made college more appealing. Seth, you're saying disenchanted but you're also articulating some form of no one will hire me. Do you know who I am? This disgusts me. Like, explain to me, wherever ego resides in the pride

of winning the game of Warriors, Bill Belichick at 70, knowing what he knows about what it takes to win, looking at the NFL, I have to interview how many times with Atlanta you discussed me like explain to me the pride hit that this has been. Yeah, it's I think it has been and I think that. Imagine, you know, it's like he has always coached and worked

as if his self-worth is tied to the result in a coin flip of a game and when he would lose games in New England and in Cleveland, I mean, it would take on an atmospheric type of level. I mean, it's like those losses would take on a life of their own. Imagine the quiet seething that someone with his stature and his accomplishments went through in January, having been shown the door by Robert Kraft after he helped make Robert Kraft billions of helped make Robert Kraft

billions of dollars and changed his life and legacy, only one team was willing to interview him and he didn't finish in the top three candidates. He had to listen to teams around the league almost kind of celebrate the fact that he wasn't in the league and that he was, quote, voted off the island, as Don Van Natta and I and Jeremy Fowler reported in April. And I think that there was, even though I think that he always thought he would, you know, he'd prefer to maybe return to the NFL, or at least plan to, as they went through these weekly Zooms,

in the middle of the season, things started to change a little bit, and all of a sudden, he was starting to analyze college programs a little bit alongside the NFL ones. That's when I think it became something that he was truly considering. Seth, it's been said before that Bill is a young 72 whereas Mack is an old 73. Does Bill signing this deal with UNC all but ensure he will never coach again in the NFL given his age? Yeah, and I mean, you know, Van Ettene and I and Fowler in April had someone who was very knowledgeable with the way the NFL works convinced that he was done coaching in the NFL. And,

you know, even though that can sound kind of shocking, and it was certainly shocking to me, you know, you just you wouldn't. And teams don't back channel communication as much as they used to. Remember, Brian Flory still has his discrimination lawsuit now, two years now. And so, teams weren't just saying to Bill Belichick, hold tight, we're gonna hire you. It doesn't work like that anymore.

And I think that he was facing the prospect that he might not get in any of these jobs You never know and he might not want the ones that he might get whereas like returning to a place like North Carolina Where he was as a boy when his dad was a coach and kind of feeling that new challenge of the college game Seemed really energizing to him Seth is this sad? Because I've seen people with a take saying, this is pretty sad for the greatest of all time to be essentially out of options

and disgusted with the entire pro rings. And he's just taking his ball and Matt Patricia, and he's going to Chapel Hill. Yeah, I mean, I think there's a part of that just always gonna seem weird. And we've just grown up and been used to him patrolling an NFL sideline for so long. And I think that he ran the New England Patriots with trying to minimize the emotion in every decision making.

And he got into some big contract battles with players over the years, released certain players, you know, created a big uproar at times Could seem cold and calculating and how he handled things and I think that he did try to improve that part of it as He went on as a coach But you know the pro football is just a tough game and very few people get to end it on their own terms and I think that Having a chance in college where he has the space to operate his way and a chance to win or lose games on his terms, which

is all he's ever asked for, looks more appealing right now. And there's a lot of college coaches who are trying to get to the NFL. But I think there are a lot of people in the NFL who consider a lot of college jobs better than NFL jobs. The question is whether North Carolina is one of them and what he'll be able to do with that program, I think. I've known Wickersham for a long time. I am proud of him. I'm proud to tell you he's got a new book coming out in September called American Kings, a biography of the quarterback.

It's available for pre-order now. And I respect that while he was talking, Mike Ryan was somehow deeply apologetic because he thought he put Wickersham, an old-timey journalist in a bad spot, by asking him through his objectivity, isn't this sad? And then Seth didn't say it was sad. He did not. He would not say it was sad.

So let me ask another question to you, a different way. Given the reporting you've done around football and how hard it was to actually accomplish what Belichick accomplished how disrespectful has the last year been to Bill Belichick for you an objective journalist I think it's been massively I mean again firing interviewing with one team out of seven openings, not getting that job, everyone kind of dancing on the result of that and almost bragging about the fact that he wasn't in anyone's top three.

The 10-part dynasty documentary, which was owned by Kraft and really, you know, a lot of Patriots players were vocal about how they felt like that it minimized his contributions. And then, you know, looking at the landscape and thinking like, you know, where do I fit into this? And, you know, I think there's an element of it that is disrespectful because look at his accomplishment. And the fact that he's going on TV every

week and having to explain basic decisions that he's mastered since 2001 that are happening on NFL sidelines. It doesn't reflect great on the NFL I think and the owners that you know a coach with eight rings can't get a job. That said, you know who knows how how this January would have played out. But I think that at the end of the day, he needed to take control of his career in the way that he saw fit. And he saw this as the best opportunity

rather than waiting and playing the odds. But he's going to North Carolina. It's not as though that he took over one of the schools that are ready like in Alabama. So I think this just furthers the narrative that maybe it wasn't him, or maybe there's something else about the creditor, the disrespect that he feels.

It is pathetic. Seth, he must be seething. He must be seething at how forgetful we are. I know we're dismissive of expertise, but like- He did win a Super Bowl five years ago. I mean, just know all of it. It's like every win a Super Bowl five years ago. I mean, just know all of it. It's not just one of Super Bowl five years ago. It's all of it. It was was ahead of the game on everybody for 20 years. Absolutely. And I think that like the media attention, I think, and the way that the

narrative has kind of shifted on him, right? As if the Patriots were all Tom Brady. And look, there's a there's a lot of great argument to be made about things. And obviously he was the one who opened the door for Tom Brady to leave and Brady did, and he went on and won the Super Bowl. But, you know, again, I mean, these are things that, like, you know, he's drafted multiple Hall of Famers.

Someone like Ryan Pohl can't necessarily say that. Terry Fontenot can't say that. And I think that like, again, as he surveyed the landscape, he knew that some of these teams, let's just say that the New York Giants wanted to hire him. He knew that that team had some major pieces that it needed to fill and would take a little bit of time to do

that and the New York press was going to be on him and it would be the third year that he in a row that he's been coaching obviously he's been out this year but you know 22, 23 and then 25 that there would be a narrative that he had lost his fastball and I you know I think there was a part of him that just didn't feel like dealing with it. Seth, last question, and I don't know if it's even fair, but I'm just curious. A lot of people talking about he can't connect with today's player.

I don't know where he connected with Randy Moss, but he did, and I don't know whether a grandpa can connect with today's player, but I know nobody knew Ricky Williams, and Ricky Williams speaks of Nick Saban in a way that floors me in terms of where grandfathers can reach kids so when Bill Belichick gets the criticism of there's no way he can connect here you say what to that? He's always been driven by a very intellectual approach I mean he can be emotional around the team

when he feels like he needs it, but he has always, his leadership has always been based on the fact that he puts players in the best position to win games, for the team to do well. And in turn, that helps the players later on in their career get better contracts wherever it might be, whether it was in New England or someone else. I think that, you know, personally, players respect knowledge. And when you lose them on that,

on that, you know, like, how was, how was Ibra Flux ever going to go back to the Bears and try to lead that team after the debacle that we all saw at the end of the game against the Lions? I mean, players respect knowledge. And even if he delivered it in, you know, a cold-hearted way at times or unemotional or was, you know, pushed these guys to the brink, you know, I think they all understood what he was trying to do. And I think that he will tailor his system

to work with 17 and 18, 19 year old kids the way that he did. He tailored it to fit his rosters in New England. to work with 17 and 18, 19 year old kids, the way that he did, he tailored it to fit his rosters in New England. That would have been a perfect time for Taylor, his system, Taylor, but evidently. He's not gonna find bombs with users. He's prepping for fine bombs.

Bathroom break. Wickersham, thank you for being on with us, we appreciate it. Chris Cody, I didn't hear the last part of his answer because you were saying something in my ear. What did you say to me? Tell the audience so they can understand why I was laughing instead of listening to Wickersham I think Seth looks like Joe Burroughs older brother

it's a good look that's a compliment I mean I need I need the highlights huh I mean you you look like his older brother wouldn't say thank you didn't say thank you should I mean that's a compliment. Your teeth are very white. Okay. That's another observation. All right, and your writing is also very nice. I find you handsome. All right, good seeing you, Seth.

Thank you guys, good seeing you guys. Good, I'm glad we didn't make that awkward at the end. Yeah, not at all. Dan, he's a journalist, he's not gonna tell you if he thinks Joe Burrough's attractive, because that would be him editorializing. Geez, I can't believe I have to explain this to you. Thank you for explaining it to me.

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Terms apply. Again, create an account and redeem code D-A-N for $20 off. Download Game Time today. What time is it? Game Time! Check he's on fire. Stugats! Harry Usher, Jalen Bronson. Hums Up Clutch, that's why we won. New York knows you are the best. Not the joke no more. This is the Don LeVatar Show with the Stugarts. There are a number of things that I have learned from Jessica, just yesterday I learned from Jessica. It was an honest exchange.

I had no fathoming idea that we were supposed to have been fed for the last 20 years as an entertainment group of people that were working five straight hours a day. Jessica explained to me, because there was some complaining about the bacon sandwiches, then you come on here and you say the budget's too low, and I was proud of the fact

that we serve breakfast and lunch, and Jessica's correct when she says, well, no, that's what's standard. And I'm like, it hasn't been our standard, like for 20 years, nobody fed us. Well, if you've ever been on a film or television set before they have craft services and generally people that work long shifts They get they get fed. Of course our shifts aren't all that long just in terms of hours. They're like coal mining They're pretty long when we were at ESPN. I would just not eat till like 3 p.m. Every day

I make more decisions than a fighter pilot till like 3 p.m. every day. I make more decisions than a fighter pilot. The reason I am elevated on Belichick, and I know, I hear myself, and forgive me, because it feels shrill even in my head, and so after 90 minutes of this, it's just pretty rare, right, David, when you do something for 20 years,

it's pretty rare for a story to make an appearance that sort of jostles all of the stimulants because you're confused at the macro on this, which is everyone's been telling me for a quarter century that the great leaders know how to win and they know how to do it better than the other great leaders who are trying this is the greatest of them that i've seen in my lifetime covering sports and i grew up in a town i saw shula build around his excellence okay this coach has been better

then all of them the other previous greatest that you would put in this conversation sabin learned from him this being available to me is emblematic of where it is and how quickly in america these days and throughout the world we do you value and dismiss expertise because you guys have been telling me this guy is better than everybody forever and now he's available he's got to go slum for a job he's got a create because everyone

in the nfl says that the game is passed him by and he's got to go slum for a job he's got to create because everyone in the NFL says that The game has passed him by and he knows what some of those knobs are like He knows those cavemen on the sideline don't even know what clock management is I think look people want to have the debate who's success who who's more responsible for the success You're talking about this like it's a hung jury. We know definitively He's the greatest NFL coach of all time. Even if this ends up being a disaster, he is going to be the first name that comes up in these debates because no one's going to hold this against him as a 73 year old.

I think that he walks into the sport with plenty of cash, walks into the sport with an advantage over most of the coaches in there. What puzzles me is what Seth said, because it goes directly against everything that I've heard about the coaching ranks. Almost everyone in college is trying to get the hell out of there. It's a nightmare right now.

If you try to pursue an NFL coach to join your college program, that's not happening. He's the only person that's like I'm done with this I'm going there. It kind of and he's trying to sell it as like no no this is a wave of the future this is way better you have more control. That is not the room that everyone is reading right now. It just lines up in direct opposition. I don't know I don't know if you could say that blanketly about every coach in college football or every coach in the NFL. It seems like the

backup plan of Belichick didn't say yes was Tommy Reese who is also in the NFL right now. Obviously, it would be a big lead to take a head coaching job in college and he comes from college as an OC. But I think that college head coaching jobs are still pretty attractive. You get paid a lot of money to coach football in college and maybe some of the variable now is actually a little bit easier with revenue sharing if you're a head coach and it becomes even more attractive in the next few years. We know the most

recent national champion came from there was trying to get back for several years needed the success to finally go over there Ryan Day has been trying to get to the NFL since he got that job I would say and I know this, the vast majority. I happen, I happen, and I know this is a totally different game. And I know this is a different game. And I happen to know this, like for real, for real. FR, like this is a tough job right now. It's a really tough job, it's fully demanding, and he's right to walk into the door with a huge support system.

Everyone gets their job delegated to them and he can just be across everything. That's the smart thing because it appears as though he's walking into the room with a bigger personnel team than most would. It's a dream because he gets five years at 72 and there's no downside to legacy. The part though that I wanted to place in front of you guys because I do find this part, like it's complicated. When you say that people are arriving at whatever the wild west is of what do you mean the left tackle's got a Maybach?

How are we doing this legally? What's legal? What's not legal? What are we doing? Okay, the floodgates have opened on the business of this. The part that I can't get my head around, and I do feel like is a fair question if you ask it, of even his expertise is,

does he understand how maddening it might be that the 18-year-old now actually has power? And what that infection is gonna look like when the 18-year-old every year can leave and be in the portal and they don't actually have to respect Bill Belichick's power, discipline, leadership or whatever he's trying to form because the walls have caved in. I've said before, I would not want one of those jobs. Like even if I had the expertise and you told me now,

I've gotta live by the whims of 18 year olds who are fighting over money? Like no thank you. You've been living with a salary cap. We're in the rules of a salary cap which are far more complicated than the freedom of Carolina. No, but wait a minute, hold on a second.

Let's talk about this for real, okay? This is also a lot of times relationships that you're having with the inner cities and families in the inner cities and all of the complications. We did see Nick Saban do the Cupid Shuffle in the living room. He's got swag though, that's the thing. I don't know if Belichick has the Saban swag. He might have taught him everything he knows, but he can't do the Cupid Shuffle. That's what I'm trying to say. You gotta be-

To the left, to the left. He's gonna get the Jumpman sweatsuit. You have to be the broadcaster Belichick to pull this off. You can't go back to mumbling over on the. He's got cheap, pa. You gotta have some personality. Belichick has no Riz. He's got Riz for days. You can mumble with 20 million in your pocket.

I'm talking about getting recruits though. I think it's gonna happen. We'll find out pretty quickly. Like he joins this program as the portal opens up. And as someone that helps with a program that is in the talent acquisition game, that mines that portal, I am more nervous today than I was when Mac Brown was there.

Is that a look at me, Louie, or is that a name job? No, it's a no. What's happening? It's a no. It's a no. It's a no. It's a no. Are you guys not with me on this, on the idea of,

I know okay? Yes, you want a high-paying job, but I would not want the job that comes with this kind of Renegade the rules are all changing right now. Well, they're really started a media company. Yes, you did I didn't know it was gonna be this and if I had known I wouldn't have what Well, that's a morale booster like no, I'm just saying I didn't know more breakfast. I didn't think it was going to be hard I thought it was going to be easy. I don't think Belichick thinks this is going to be easy But I and the red lashley thing was a bar I mean if you look at the lay of the land of the coaches that he's going out there and you ask anybody who's a better coach. I mean, there are going to be jokes compared

to him. Dabo is the only guy that can be like, what's up pal? And he's even become a joke. No, no, but Dabo... He thinks it's going to be easy. Dabo comparatively is a joke in the way... He's on two natties. I know, but so did Les Miles. No, these people... Look, compared...

You can't... Dabo's been into the playoff how many times? Seven times? You can disagree with how he's run the program the last few years but he's a very successful, he's one of the only two active head coaches that's won a national championship. I'm not arguing that he's not successful, I'm not arguing that he hasn't done

one of the hardest things. Said he was a joke. He's waving the eyes of the Lord. Which is he made Clemson stop feeling like perpetual punchline, always going to lose Clemson. But when you look at Dabo Swinney's history and how it is that he got that job, what you are telling me, if you think Dabo Swinney

is Bill Belichick, is that the guy who just happens into an interim job and then finds his way to the success ladder in Making Clemson better is Bill Belichick And there's no one listening to this who would say that if Davos winning is Coaching against Bill Belichick that it's not Belichick with whatever the substantive advantages thankfully no one said that We made it up he's not joke. That's all I'm saying. Yeah, no, he's the only person that has any cache. It can be like, hey, guy, like, look at us winners.

He's more successful than Belichick. I'm saying that everyone comparatively that he will be coaching against is a joke. Everyone is more successful at being a college coach than he is. So how about that? They all have more victories. Talk to me when you beat TCU week one,

Charlotte week two, Richmond, that's gotta be a dub. Hopefully you're three and oh at that point. 2026 Mike, Notre Dame and Miami both play UNC. That'll be year two of Bill Belichick. Oh no, no thank you. No thank you. Yeah, no thank you. You happen to know what the line is?

I happen to know that I will be shitting bricks that day. I wouldn't want that job, man. I would not want the responsibility of a 17-year-old can decide whether I'm happy that day or not. Howdy, folks. It's Mike. And guess what? It's Miller time.

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