North Carolina
The contract detail that raises doubts about Bill Belichick’s North Carolina future
Now that Bill Belichick signed his name on the dotted line to become the 35th head coach in North Carolina football history, the Tar Heels have released the details above the line.
One, in particular, has spurred cause for concern.
Should the second-winningest coach in NFL history decide to leave his post in Chapel Hill right before or after his first season, he would incur a fine of only $1 million.
The provision kicks in on June 1 of next year, approximately two months before the 2025 college football season is set to begin.
The term sheet also states that, should Belichick, 72, leave before June 1, 2025, the move would be much more expensive, costing $10 million.
The head coach’s five-year deal pays that amount per year, with $10 million guaranteed from 2025-27. The contract is non-guaranteed in its final two years.
Belichick, with the swoosh of his pen, became the highest-paid state employee in North Carolina history.
While the industry continues to dissect the fine print of that contract — and theorize about how many pro seasons the coach would need to capture 15 more victories and break Don Shula’s all-time record — Belichick is maintaining that Chapel Hill is not a pitstop.
“I didn’t come here to leave,” the six-time Super Bowl champion said during his introductory press conference Thursday. “I’ve always wanted to coach in college football … this is a dream come true.”
Belichick’s “dream” is an unequivocal boon for a Tar Heels football program that hasn’t won an ACC title since 1980. And UNC is ready to ride his wave.
As part of the contract, the university pledged approximately $13 million for “revenue sharing,” which could be part of the school’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) pool.
The program is set to increase its NIL budget from $4 million to $20 million, per USA Today.
For Belichick, that lump sum will go a long, long way towards recruiting the kinds of players who can carry Tar Heel football to national relevance. Perhaps even a national championship.
And, with one of the greatest minds in the game behind the bench, UNC hopes to become a pipeline to the league in line with the Georgias and Alabamas of the world.
But by the time those kids are in the building, could Belichick already be out the door?
Lawrence Taylor — who earned All-American honors at UNC and played for Belichick when he was a defensive coach with the Giants — says the all-time coaching wins record, in such close reach, is of no relevance to the newest Tar Heel.
Time will tell.
A $2 Powerball ticket turned into a life-changing investment for Richard Kee Jr.
Kee tried his luck on the ticket in January and won the $209.3 million jackpot prize, the second-largest prize won in North Carolina history.
Kee, who lives in Roanoke Rapids, bought the winning ticket from West 10th Mart on West 10th Street in Roanoke Rapids.
Kee chose to remain anonymous for 90 days. North Carolina law dictates a lottery winner of $50 million or more can choose to be anonymous for up to 90 days after claiming the prize.
Kee’s winnings will come through a lump sum payment of $95.3 million and, after required federal and state taxes, took home $68.6 million.
ELLERBE, N.C.. (AP) — Andre The Giant, a towering menace in the wrestling ring but a gentle giant on the movie screen, is being honored with a roadside marker in his beloved adopted small town in North Carolina.
Officials plan to unveil the marker Thursday in Ellerbe, North Carolina, a community of about 1,000 people where the wrestler born Andre Rene Roussimoff lived on a ranch just outside town.
Andre was billed at 7-foot-4 (2.24 meters) and 520 pounds (236 kilograms) during his time wrestling for the WWE in the 1970s and 1980s.
A larger than life villain, Roussimoff was touted as unbeatable until he faced Hulk Hogan in a match in 1987 at WrestleMania III that launched the once regional wrestling company into a nationwide entertainment force.
Later that year, Roussimoff appeared on film as the giant Fezzik in “The Princess Bride.” Fezzik was the gentle-hearted muscle for the antagonist and needed rhymes to remember his instructions.
Roussimoff was born in France. But as he wrestled around the U.S. South he fell in love with the region, buying his North Carolina ranch and raising cattle on his land about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Charlotte.
He became a critical part of the Ellerbe community. In 1990, he taped TV and radio spots against a possible low-level radioactive landfill nearby. A pair of his size-26 cowboy boots are kept at a museum.
Roussimoff died in 1993 at age 46 in France where he was visiting for his father’s funeral. They had a service for him there, but his body was cremated and his ashes spread at his beloved ranch.
The Richmond County marker at NC Highway 72 and Old NC Highway 220 simply says “Andre The Giant. 1946-1993. Actor and professional wrestler. Was born Andre Roussimoff. Known for role in The Princess Bride in 1987. Lived nearby.”
North Carolina
NC State’s 2026 Atlantic hurricane forecast calls for an average season with 12 to 15 named storms
North Carolina State University is calling for a fairly average 2026 Atlantic hurricane season similar to recent years.
Researchers predict:
- 12 to 15 named storms (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 15 storms)
- 6 to 9 hurricanes (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 7 storms)
- 2 to 3 major hurricanes (the average between 1994 to 2025 is 4 storms)
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Look for WRAL’s hurricane season outlook airing May 18.
NC State’s forecast was released on Wednesday by Lian Xie, a professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences.
Xie and researchers are calling for 1-3 named storms and 1-2 hurricanes in the Caribbean Sea (slightly below recent averages) and 2-5 named storms and 1-2 hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico (near recent averages).
Researchers at Colorado State University released their Atlantic hurricane season outlook earlier this month, pointing to a slightly below-normal year ahead and calling for 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
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