Mack Brown’s rollercoaster week came to a bitter end as North Carolina fell to in-state rival NC State, 35-30, on Saturday. Brown, recently dismissed as the Tar Heels’ head coach, spoke candidly about his frustrations with how the situation was handled by the university administration.
“All I wanted to do was wait until the end of the year,” Brown explained, according to On3 . “And they wanted me to retire on Monday, before the (NC) State game. We haven’t beaten State—it was really important for these kids to play well and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to break their hearts on Monday. So I said, ‘No, I won’t do that.’ And then they wanted me to do it Friday. Well, I sure wasn’t going to do it Friday before the game.”
Despite his protests, North Carolina opted to part ways with Brown ahead of the rivalry showdown, leaving the long-time coach disheartened by the timing.
The Tar Heels’ loss on Saturday only deepened the sting, as the team fought hard—and even harder afterward in an attempt to prevent the NC State players front planting their flag at midfield —but ultimately couldn’t overcome the Wolfpack.