Bill Belichick drew major national attention at the ACC kickoff, arriving through service corridors to avoid hundreds of media members. The ACC distributed nearly 40% more credentials than a year earlier, and more than 200 reporters crowded a breakout Q&A. Belichick spoke for over 20 minutes, addressed topics from fullback usage to recruiting, and cracked jokes. Reporters asked about sitting with recruits; Belichick denied doing so, calling it a recruiting violation. The program's early transition included missteps, confusion, broken promises and 'harsh' and 'businesslike' moves to push players out the door.
Just minutes before taking the stage at the ACC's annual kickoff event at the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, Bill Belichick scrolled through his phone, reviewing his notes at a table in a dark service corridor as hotel employees stacked plates and glasses around. He had been shuffled through back hallways by conference and school staffers hoping to avoid the majority of the more than 800 media members gathered in an adjacent ballroom,
The ballroom where Belichick addressed topics as banal as the modern use of the fullback remained packed for his session, the ACC having distributed nearly 40% more credentials than a year earlier. In a breakout room intended for a more informal Q&A, more than 200 reporters elbowed through the crowd to pose a question. Belichick spoke for more than 20 minutes, even cracking a few jokes.
One reporter asked what it was like sitting in living rooms with recruits during the spring. "I haven't done that," Belichick quipped. "That would be a recruiting violation right now." For anyone who had lived through Belichick's chaotic early days of recruiting and roster building, it might have felt like an inside joke.
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