Bill Belichick getting new UNC boss in 2026 as questions persist about future
Cunningham will continue his current role until the summer of 2026, when he will then transition to senior advisor to the chancellor and athletic director, according to the university.
3 Bubba Cunningham has served as UNC's Athletic Director since 2011.
AP
'As part of my last contract extension, I committed to working with University leadership on a succession plan that would positively position Carolina Athletics and our 28 teams for the future,' Cunningham said. 'I appreciate the opportunity to extend my contract and enhance my role in a way that will allow me to continue to support our outstanding student-athletes, coaches and staff as we transition and navigate the changing athletics landscape. I am excited for the future.'
Cunningham has been UNC's director of athletics since 2011 and has led the Tar Heel programs to 24 national titles in his tenure.
He, along with an advisory committee, made the decision to hire the polarizing Belichick in December with hopes to revive the program which hasn't won a bowl game since 2019.
Belichick was reportedly not Cunningham's 'preferred target' in the coaching search, perhaps suggesting a disconnect between the two.
3 Bubba Cunningham brought abord Bill Belichick.
AP
The 73-year-old is under contract as head coach until 2029, though his buyout sits at just $1 million, paving a way for a potential UNC departure if things don't go according to plan after his first season — or if he were to be eyeing up any sort of NFL job that may arise.
With Cunningham's move to a new role, Steve Newmark, the president of Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing, a NASCAR team, will take over.
RFK Racing is a part of the Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Newmark has been hired as executive associate athletic director and 'will report to Cunningham and initially focus his attention on strategies tied to revenue-driving initiatives, particularly related to UNC's Football and Men's and Women's Basketball programs, before transitioning to the Director of Athletics role in the summer of 2026,' according to UNC.
3 Bill Belichick next to his girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
NHLI via Getty Images
Cunningham was involved in some controversy earlier this year when UNC's men's basketball team received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament over teams who were seemingly more deserving.
He was chairman of the tournament's selection committee and had a clause in his UNC contract for monetary bonuses if the team reached the tournament — prompting an investigation brought forth by one of the snubbed tournament teams, West Virginia, into collusion.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
7 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Owen Farrell summoned by Lions after Elliot Daly ruled out of tour by broken arm
SYDNEY (AP) — Former England captain Owen Farrell was summoned by the British and Irish Lions to replace Elliot Daly on the tour of Australia on Thursday. Daly broke his left forearm on Wednesday in the 52-12 win over the Queensland Reds in Brisbane. 'It is heartbreaking for the group that Elliot's tour is over,' Lions coach Andy Farrell said in a statement. 'He is a Lions legend who has added so much to the group on and off the field over the past few weeks and over the course of three tours. 'Owen will now come in and add to our options and bring his own Lions experience to the group.' Owen Farrell will join his fourth tour, having played 18 times for the Lions, including six tests across 2013, 2017 and 2021. However, he hasn't played an international since leading England at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, after which he took a break from test rugby. He earned 112 England caps and is the team's all-time points record-holder. Owen Farrell also hasn't played any rugby in two months. He was concussed on May 4 while playing for Racing 92 in his last game for the French Top 14 side. He recently signed a new deal to return to his old English club Saracens. ___ AP rugby:
Fox Sports
36 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother were killed in a car accident in Spain, police say
Associated Press MADRID (AP) — Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother were killed in a car accident in Spain, police said Thursday. The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed to The Associated Press that Jota and his brother were found dead after their car went off a road near the northwestern city of Zamora. Authorities said the car — a Lamborghini, according to police — was in flames. Firefighters were called in as the fire spread into the nearby vegetation, authorities said. Police were investigating the causes of the accident that happened past midnight local time. They said there were no other vehicles involved. The bodies were undergoing forensic analysis. It wasn't clear who was driving the car. Police were looking into the hypothesis that the accident happened because of a blown tire. The accident occurred along an isolated stretch of highway about an hour west of Zamora. The 28-year-old Jota and his brother, 25-year-old Andre Silva, both Portuguese players, were in the car. Jota's death comes weeks after he married Rute Cardoso and in a social media post wrote, 'Yes to forever.' They had three children, the youngest born last year. Jota also played for Portugal's national team and helped it win the Nations League last month. Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower divisions. Liverpool said the club was 'devastated by the tragic passing.' 'Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support.' Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and won three major trophies with the Merseyside club — including the Premier League title last season. The Portuguese soccer federation released a statement lamenting the deaths. Federation president Pedro Proença said Portuguese soccer was 'completely devastated.' 'More than a fantastic player, with almost 50 appearances for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his colleagues and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference in his community,' Proença said in the statement. The Portuguese federation said it has requested a minute of silence before Thursday's match between Portugal and Spain at the Women's European Championship being played in Switzerland. 'We lost two champions,' Proença said. "Their deaths represent an irreparable loss for Portuguese soccer and we will all do our best to honor their legacy daily.' Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro commented on the 'unexpected and tragic' deaths. He said Jota was 'an athlete who greatly honored Portugal's name.' 'I extend my deepest condolences to their family,' he said. 'It is a sad day for soccer and for national and international sports.' Reaction also started pouring in from across the soccer world. Former club Porto and former teammates lamented the deaths and sent condolences, as did other clubs, federations and leagues. The Premier League said it was 'shocked and devastated.' 'Our sincerest condolences go to Diogo's family, friends, Liverpool FC, and all their supporters at this heartbreaking time,' it said. 'Football has lost a champion who will be forever missed. We will continue to support our friends and colleagues at the club.' UEFA said its thoughts were with relatives, friends and teammates affected 'by this heartbreaking loss.' It said a moment of silence will be observed at Euro 2025 matches on Thursday and Friday. ___ AP Soccer Writer James Robson contributed to this report. ___ AP soccer: recommended
Hamilton Spectator
42 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
At Wimbledon, a player's lament about loneliness revives a conversation about mental health
LONDON (AP) — When Naomi Osaka opened up about her anxiety and depression at the 2021 French Open, it sparked a conversation in sports — and society at large — about mental health and the importance of addressing such issues. In the time since, more and more players have spoken about the topic and seeking help, and whatever taboos there were seem to have faded. Still, the way three-time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev discussed his state of mind after a first-round exit at Wimbledon this week revived the conversation. 'I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. ... I'm trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way,' said Zverev, who was the runner-up at the Australian Open in January but then went through a rough stretch of results this season when he had a chance to overtake Jannik Sinner at No. 1 in the rankings. Alexander Zverev says at Wimbledon he feels 'quite alone in life' 'I feel, generally speaking, quite alone in life at the moment, which is a feeling that is not very nice,' Zverev said. 'It's not a feeling on a tennis court, it's just a life feeling in general.' Players at the All England Club were asked Wednesday about Zverev's words. They could empathize, some said. Others offered advice. Amanda Anisimova was a French Open semifinalist as a teen in 2019, then announced two years ago she was taking time off because of burnout . She's been back for a while now and reached the third round at Wimbledon with a victory Wednesday. 'It's definitely tricky. Each and every one of us goes through something at some point in our lives. We have our bouts of negative times. It honestly takes some self-reflecting, figuring out what's going wrong or how can I create a lifestyle that I enjoy. I feel like there are so many factors. For me, personally, it was finding people that I could confide in and I trusted. People that I could talk to,' Anisimova said. 'What Alex said about feeling lonely ... a lot of people struggle with being lonely, especially on the pro circuit,' she said, adding that taking a break from tour life 'really helped me and I'm happy I did that, because I came back with a new perspective, felt refreshed, and I feel like I learned a lot about myself.' Wimbledon athletes talk about turning to therapy for help Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, who owns three major trophies, said that she worked with a therapist for five years. 'It's really important to talk openly about whatever you're dealing with. ... It's really important to be open and to talk about what are you experiencing, because if you're going to keep it inside, it's just going to destroy you. I think that's kind of like something happening to him,' Sabalenka said. 'I think (Zverev) just needs to open up to whoever is close to him.' At the Australian Open, title winner Madison Keys addressed her reliance on therapy and the ways in which it both allowed her to be happier, in general, and more successful at tennis — a sport in which losses are frequent and expectations can be a burden. On-court losses in tennis can affect off-court identities 'Our identity becomes very wrapped up in being a tennis player. That's great, but when you have the tough kind of weeks, months, years on tour, that can really take a toll on how you think about yourself as a person,' Keys, a 30-year-old American, said Wednesday. 'So being able to kind of dive into that and figure out how to separate the two and know that you're not just a tennis player, you're a full person that has all of these other really great attributes and other interests and just different things in your life.' When a reporter asked the No. 3-seeded Zverev after his loss to unseeded Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday whether he might consider trying therapy, the 28-year-old German replied: 'For the first time in my life, I'll probably need it.' This is how he described his current mindset: 'I've never felt this empty before. Just lacking joy, just lacking joy in everything that I do. It's not necessarily about tennis. Just lacking joy outside of tennis, as well.' Andrey Rublev, a 10-time Slam quarterfinalist from Russia who is seeded 14th at Wimbledon, said after his win Wednesday that life on tour, in and of itself, is not the problem for someone like Zverev. 'Tennis is just the trigger point,' Rublev said. 'It's something inside of you that you need to face.' ___ More AP tennis:
