Fans have accused the legendary Bill Belichick of trying to copy the Colorado Buffaloes‘ Deion Sanders by showing off a more casual approach to his training sessions as he takes over the reins at the University of North Carolina.

The iconic 72-year-old, who celebrates his birthday on April 16, trades the NFL for the NCAA as he takes on college football for the first time in his career by joining the Tar Heels.

And he seems as though he’s having a good time, despite it being a sharp change of pace from the professional scene; where he claimed six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

Smiling and enjoying himself as he teaches the next generation of footballing talent how to play the game, some fans aren’t impressed as one goes as far as accusing him of copying a rival.

A user said to X.com, formerly Twitter, “Who are we kidding? Bill is trying his best to copy Prime. The only thing is, Prime has swag and Bill doesn’t.”

Fans defend Belichick

The 57-year-old Sanders is known for his laid back and relaxed style, fostering a fun environment for his players to grow as people and learn how to play the sport, part of why the Buffaloes reached the Alamo Bowl in 2024/25.

This main criticism, however, relates to Belichick‘s decision to bring Lil Wayne aboard for a promotional event where he received a Tar Heels jersey and walked through the training campus, talking with the ex-Patriot.

Of course, criticising a legendary NFL personality online opens you up to a response from the community and that’s what the user got as fans rushed to defend Belichick’s honor.

One user wrote, “Bill has 8 rings [two as an assistant]. He has ultimate swag.”

A second commented, “Why? They are too young to know prime Wayne.”

And a third said, “Get these two [Belichick/Wayne] on a podcast.”