North Carolina's Mack Brown 'overwhelmingly' supported by players - ESPN

In the aftermath of a dismal 70-50 loss to James Madison on Saturday, North Carolina coach Mack Brown said he told his team that if players didn't feel they were getting the leadership they needed from him, he would step aside.

A number of people in the locker room left believing the 73-year-old Brown planned to step down, but on Monday, he said that was a misinterpretation while taking full responsibility for the rumors that swirled after an emotional meeting in the locker room.

«I shouldn't have put that pressure on them, so I'm disappointed in me,» Brown said. «I love my job, I love these kids, and I love this place. That's why I hate losing so much.»

Brown said he effectively offered his resignation to the team if players believed he was not capable of properly leading the program, but that the players «overwhelmingly» supported him. He said he sent the team a message 30 minutes to an hour after getting home Saturday night and apologized for his comments and promised he would be better moving forward.

Brown has a reputation for taking losses particularly hard, something he'd promised his wife, Sally, he would improve upon when he returned to UNC in 2019 after 16 seasons coaching Texas (1998-2013). However, he said he has struggled to change his stripes.

He noted he keeps a quote from Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry that says, «You learn from losses.»

«You do,» Brown said, «but I usually have to start learning on Monday or Tuesday.»

Brown on Monday repeatedly said he took full responsibility for the team's performance against James Madison, but he also put it on his assistant coaches to do a better job of preparing players. He said the team is fully focused on this week's matchup against undefeated Duke — a program led