Marco Rubio, other politicians played pivotal role in helping Bill Belichick land UNC job: report

Tom Brady discusses how Bill Belichick motivated his teams back when he was playing for him on the New England Patriots, and how his motivation led to a dynasty.

Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick got an unlikely assist in his pursuit of the head coaching job at North Carolina.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was called on by the former New England Patriots coach to advocate to then-fellow Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina for the job at Chapel Hill, according to an ESPN report.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a joint news conference with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader at the National Palace in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, Pool)

"Rubio follows the sports world pretty closely, and he called me and said, 'There's a chance Belichick would come to Chapel Hill,'" Tillis told ESPN.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"He said, '[Belichick] wants a school with a great academic reputation, and he wants to try to build a program to bring them a national championship. I said, 'Well, let me go [make some calls].'"

According to the report, Tillis then called North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, who was initially in disbelief until Tillis reassured him. 

One source told ESPN that "the push to land Belichick all started with the politicians."

New North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick walks on the court of Dean Smith Center during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game between La Salle and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024.  (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

BILL BELICHICK WASN'T UNC'S FIRST CHOICE AS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH: REPORT

An eight-time Super Bowl champion, Belichick left the NFL for a