Bill Belichick’s UNC program privately blames Patriots for bad press

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This comment tucked inside a Saturday report from Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com says it all: "[S]uspicions within UNC’s program that some of the negative headlines have origins in New England.”

The story that started it all came from Pat Welter of WRAL-TV. If the Patriots somehow infiltrated a local affiliate in Raleigh and planted the seeds for Welter’s exhaustive account of division in the locker room, disorganization in the coaching staff, and overall dysfunction in the building, that would rank among the most impressive accomplishments from owner Robert Kraft’s 30-plus-year tenure with the team.

None of the articles came from the universe of reporters the Patriots could easily nudge. The story about the commencement of exit-strategy discussions was written by an outlet that covers North Carolina sports.

If the Patriots had fingerprints on any of the items that surfaced this week, that would be worth a story of its own. Especially since one of the stories illustrating the various problems with the UNC program was written by three of Russini’s colleagues — none of whom cover the NFL.

But blaming others seems to be the strategy for a program that currently is solely to blame for its current predicament. Indeed, Russini’s story explains, “People inside the football operation believe the criticism is intended to hurt the program.”

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