Ad Disclosure
Mack Brown clarifies retirement rumors coming out of Week 4 loss to JMU
Published:
Mack Brown isn’t resigning as the head coach at North Carolina.
The 73-year-old who’s in his 2nd stint as the Tar Heels coach has made that clear and reiterated Monday what he was feeling on Saturday as he left the field following a shocking home loss to James Madison.
“As I was walking off the field, I thought: ‘I’m responsible for all this, it’s on me, so I should ask the players about leadership, if they feel good about me moving forward.’ That’s something I shouldn’t do,” recalled Brown in Monday’s weekly press conference.
Mack Brown today on what he said to players after loss to JMU: "As I was walking off the field, I thought: ‘I’m responsible for all this, it’s on me, so I should ask the players about leadership, if they feel good about me moving forward.’ That’s something I shouldn’t do." pic.twitter.com/OntP9mJnxI
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) September 23, 2024
Immediately following that loss, a report surfaced that Brown had told his players he was retiring. That report was quickly disputed with others pointing to an “emotional” locker room scene after the defeat.
But just because Brown is staying at UNC after all, it doesn’t mean Saturday’s embarrassing loss didn’t take a lot out of him emotionally. The Tar Heels suffered their 1st loss of the 2024 season, giving up 70 points to the Dukes in a 70-50 defeat in Chapel Hill. The loss was so disheartening for Brown that afterward he told his players that the result was on him and that he would resign if the problems within the program couldn’t be fixed.
Brown’s players immediately owned the loss and supported their head coach. When the dust settled on a forgettable Saturday in Chapel Hill, Brown was able to collect his thoughts and determine that he wasn’t going anywhere right now.
“I’m not resigning. I’ll be back at work Monday,” Brown told ESPN’s Chris Low.
The 3-1 Tar Heels will look to bounce back this Saturday at Duke.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
