North Carolina's Mack Brown receives “overwhelming” support from players

After the dismal 70-50 loss to James Madison on Saturday, North Carolina coach Mack Brown said he told his team he would resign if the players felt they were not getting the leadership they needed from him.

Several people in the locker room assumed that Brown, 73, was planning to retire, but on Monday he said that was a misinterpretation and took full responsibility for the rumors that emerged after an emotional locker room meeting.

“I shouldn't have put that much pressure on them, so I'm disappointed in myself,” 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 virtually offered his resignation to the team if players believed he was unable to properly lead the program, but the players were “overwhelmingly” supportive. He said he sent the team a message 30 minutes to an hour after returning home Saturday night apologizing for his comments and promising he would do better in the future.

Brown has a reputation for being particularly tough on losing, and he promised his wife, Sally, that he would improve when he returned to UNC in 2019 after 16 seasons as coach at Texas (1998-2013). But he said he found it difficult to change his style.

He mentioned that he takes to heart a quote from Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry that says, “You learn from your losses.”

“That’s true,” Brown said, “but I usually have to start studying on Monday or Tuesday.”

Brown said repeatedly Monday that he takes full responsibility for the team's performance against James Madison, but he also put the onus on his assistant coaches to better prepare players. He said the team is fully focused on this week's game against undefeated Duke – a program led by Manny Diaz, whom Brown fired as Texas' defensive coordinator less than 24 hours after the Longhorns allowed 550 rushing yards to the BYU Cougars in a 2013 loss.

“I hate losing,” Brown said. “It makes me physically ill and I feel responsible. I put pressure on myself and I can't do that.”

Brown said his team handled the situation better than he did, but also said he was disappointed when rumors of his departure began to circulate through the locker room on Saturday night.

“Things used to stay in the locker room,” Brown said. “The locker room is sacred. It's obviously not anymore.”

North Carolina has a 3-1 record this season and the Tar Heels have started three different quarterbacks in four games. Saturday's loss was due in part to five turnovers by the offense and 611 lost yards by the defense. The Dukes scored 53 points in the first half, a record for any half against the Tar Heels.

“I'm supposed to be a role model for these kids, turn negatives into positives and learn from defeats,” Brown said. “I didn't do that very well on Saturday night. I'm disappointed in myself, I'm going to grow from it and not do it again.”