Mixed rumors swirling about UNC football coaching changes

The Bill Belichick era has been anything but smooth since day one, and now there are multiple reports that are theorizing that some major changes are coming to the UNC football coaching staff. What those changes are haven't been made 100 percent clear as of yet.

The major rumor is that Belichick is in the process of negotiating an exit strategy from his position, fueling discussions about his buyout and what it will take to make this happen soon.

Per PFT, the program is being looked at for multiple rules violations and wants to avoid a lengthy investigation and possible punitive action. Ushering Belichick out may be the easiest way to deal with that if the allegations are true.

Mike Florio has speculated that Belichick could make a return to the NFL if he's finished at UNC, marking one of the shortest college coaching tenures for a major program in recent history.

There have been further rumors that some major turnover to Belichick's staff is on the horizon, which could be highlighted by the suspension of assistant coach Armond Hawkins this week.

Per WRAL, not only was Hawkins missing from practice, there was also a reported fight on Tuesday between two players in the locker room, with one parent stating their son doesn't want to go to the facility anymore because of the toxic atmosphere.

None of this adds up to anything good for the UNC football program, and now more reports have surfaced that buyout talks are underway for Belichick, who is looking for a "soft landing" at another school or in the media.

This is sure to be an ugly divorce when -- not if -- it eventually happens. There seems to be a real chance that Bill Belichick won't be on the sidelines when the Tar Heels take on Cal.