Bill Belichick reportedly not allowing Patriots staff at UNC practices, limiting scouts from other NFL teams

Bill Belichick and University of North Carolina football denied practice access to a New England Patriots scout last month and has limited access to scouts from other NFL teams, according to multiplereports Thursday.

ESPN's Kalyn Kahler reported that UNC general manager Michael Lombardi - a former NFL executive with 30-plus years of front office experience and three Super Bowls to his name - as well as UNC assistant director of player personnel/pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain told the Patriots they would be banned from UNC a day before one of their scouts was scheduled to watch an August football practice in Chapel Hill.

Since then, the Patriots haven't tried to scout UNC, per a report from The Athletic's Jeff Howe and Bruce Feldman.

The Pats weren't missing much Monday. Belichick's Tar Heels debut amounted to an embarrassing 48-14 defeat to TCU under the lights of UNC's Kenan Stadium.

Although other NFL teams have been permitted to scout UNC's practices, according to The Athletic, they've only been able to do so while navigating increased restrictions.

Scouts reportedly told The Athletic that their viewing was bound to the first three periods of practice, a window that includes stretching.

UNC wants NFL teams to solely communicate with Jourdain about draft prospects, according to both The Athletic report and the ESPN report.

Scouts reportedly told ESPN that UNC's college relations website, which only NFL personnel can access, says that "scouts will have zero access to coaches or other personnel people."

It's important to note that, while Belichick and UNC are imposing strict scouting restrictions - and, in the case of the Patriots, a reported ban - they aren't violating NCAA rules.

That said, it's customary for college programs to allow NFL scouts to watch full practices. The more exposure their players get, the better chance they have to impress a pro team, and the more draft picks the school produces, the better the program looks.

Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach who essentially doubled as a general manager for the Patriots for more than two decades, knows how it all works better than anyone.

But his messy parting with Patriots owner Robert Kraft and the organization appears to have followed him to Chapel Hill.

And Belichick, who downplayed the outside noise his program was already facing earlier this summer, seems to have another PR blunder on his hands, along with an 0-1 record.