Patriots reportedly had petty retaliation for Bill Belichick, UNC scout ban

The New England Patriots are reportedly taking measures to retaliate against North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick's decision to ban their team's scouts from practices in Chapel Hill. 

Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Patriots requested a staffer remove a North Carolina shirt. However, New England has refrained from involving starting quarterback Drake Maye in the drama.

"A source close to Belichick, meanwhile, was told that a Patriots staffer was informed in New England’s weight room he should remove his UNC shirt," Russini wrote. "But a Patriots source pointed out that starting quarterback Drake Maye — who went to North Carolina — often wears UNC gear around the facility with zero issues."

The New England Patriots and North Carolina are being petty

Both sides are being petty, though New England has less to lose by demanding a staffer take off a T-shirt than the stakes Belichick has by keeping an NFL scout from UNC's facilities.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach needs to assure recruits that he has their professional interests in mind while ensuring that the Patriots' scouts on campus do not leak negative stories about Belichick and his players to the press.

Per Russini, the beef has nothing to do with Belichick and new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel or executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf. The issue is between Belichick, Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft.

The Patriots and Krafts should be above such foolishness. Most in the media have taken the position that Belichick is in the wrong for denying Patriots scouts access to practices. The Patriots have no reason to hurt their PR by arbitrarily telling people in the building not to wear Tar Heels gear.