Ex-North Carolina star Marquise Williams is skipping Tar Heels games as Bill Belichick enters second year

FOX Sports' Julian Edelman joins Colin Cowherd to discuss Bill Belichick's decision to join North Carolina as its next head coach.

North Carolina football is less than two weeks from opening summer camp ahead of its second season under seven-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick.

Belichick led the Tar Heels to a 4-8 record in his first season in Chapel Hill, but a string of off-field headlines largely overshadowed the team.

The controversy has carried into the offseason, apparently prompting at least one prominent UNC football alumnus to forgo attending games in person when the 2026 season begins this fall. 

Marquise Williams, who earned All-ACC honors during his four-year run with UNC, announced his plan to skip games this year.

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Marquise Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels warms up before a game against the Clemson Tigers at Bank of America Stadium Dec. 5, 2015, in Charlotte, N.C. (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

"I will not be attending any UNC football games this year!" Williams wrote Thursday on X. "The things I’m hearing man I would have never thought." He added a broken heart emoji but did not elaborate on exactly what put him off.

Williams still lives in North Carolina and serves as quarterbacks coach at Louisburg College. He ranks sixth on UNC’s all-time passing yards list.

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While Williams’ exact reasoning remains unclear, much of the chatter surrounding the program has centered on Belichick, 73, and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

Marquise Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks to pass against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during