North Carolina is opening the regular season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday but will be missing a key piece of the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick will reportedly not join the team for the season opener as he remains on indefinite medical leave, per insider Pete Nakos. Belichick has been on indefinite medical leave since Aug. 6.
Head coach Bill Belichick, the father of Steve Belichick, did not provide any details about his son's medical leave nor a timeline for when he will return. When Steve Belichick initially went on medical leave, Bill Belichick explained that North Carolina coaches the defense collectively. He also said if his son was not available for the season opener, he would consider naming an interim defensive coordinator.
As of Thursday, Belichick has not named an interim defensive coordinator. Instead, he will reportedly be in charge of calling defensive plays for the Tar Heels in the season opener on Saturday, according to CBS Sports. Belichick has multiple decades of experience running defenses.
He helped the New York Giants win Super Bowls XXI and XXV as a defensive coordinator, then he served as a defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1997-1999. Belichick has held several head coaching roles since then but remains knowledgable about how to run a dominant defensive unit. That experience will be beneficial as the Tar Heels continue to wait for Steve Belichick's return.
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