Bill Belichick doesn't want the New England Patriots anywhere near his football program at the University of North Carolina. The new Tar Heels head coach has reportedly banned Patriots scouts from having any access to his team, according to multiple reports.

Belichick's ban of his former employer was first reported by 3 & Out's John Middlekauf and later confirmed by ESPN. Patriots scouts were told by UNC general manager Michael Lombardi they wouldn't be welcomed to Chapel Hill the day before a scheduled visit last month.

"Lombardi and Tar Heels pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain informed the Patriots that they would be banned from UNC the day before one of their scouts was scheduled to visit in August, a source with direct knowledge told ESPN," Kalyn Kaher reported Thursday.   

While Patriots scouts have been completely banned, the 31 other NFL teams aren't getting a ton of access either with a number of restrictions when scouting practices at UNC. According to Kaher, scouts are limited to just three sessions of practice and cannot speak to coaches -- including Belichick -- or staffers other than Jourdain. 

When Belichick took the job at UNC, he promised to get his players ready and prepared for opportunities in the NFL. However, cutting out one of the 32 teams completely does a huge disservice to his players hoping to get a shot at the next level.

(Here's where some would say Belichick is doing the Patriots a favor, considering UNC was pummeled by TCU in Belichick's debut Monday night. But we will not say that.)

Bill Belichick's relationship with Patriots

Belichick is clearly still miffed at the Patriots, who parted ways with him following the 2023 season after 24 years and six Super Bowl championships together. Patriots owner Robert Kraft called it a "mutual" parting of the ways and held a press conference with Belichick to announce the move, but the relationship has been salty ever since.

Both Kraft and Belichick have taken shots at each other in the media, though the Patriots owner recently extended an olive branch by saying he wants to put up a Belichick statue outside Gillette Stadium when the coach retires.

While Belichick is trying to stick it to his old team, banning the Patriots from anything UNC will only hurt his players in the end. It could come back to really hurt the Tar Heels program if players decide they want to be somewhere that truly gives them the best chance to make it to the NFL.