CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Butch Davis wants to be a head coach again.

North Carolina fired him last July amid a series of embarrassing revelations during an NCAA investigation of his football program. The school said there was too much damage for him to stay even though he wasn't linked to a violation, and now he's working as a consultant with an NFL team hoping to become a head coach again.

"I would love to think that the things we've accomplished over 37 years, that this one particular deal will not define me as a man nor as a coach," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The former University of Miami Hurricanes and Cleveland Browns coach said he tried to build a reputation of "someone that people can believe in, somebody that people can trust." He pointed to his success rebuilding a Hurricanes program racked by NCAA sanctions into a power that won the 2001 national championship the year after he joined the Browns.

However, Davis is still involved in a public records fight with media outlets seeking his personal cellphone records. The outlets, including the AP, have argued he used his phone for job duties instead of his university phone. His attorney has said the records aren't public records, though Davis -- who said he'd release them before he was fired -- wouldn't object to a judge reviewing them to protect the privacy of friends and professional contacts.

The school has said outside counsel reviewed Davis' records and found "nothing of concern." A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Davis is fighting to rebuild his reputation, which was tarnished by the investigation of improper benefits and academic misconduct at UNC.

The only career opportunity currently on the table is working as a "special assistant" to Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano, a former Davis assistant at Miami. But Davis is ready for the next round of job openings, armed with the NCAA's March ruling that doesn't cite him for wrongdoing.

Dick Baddour, UNC's former athletic director who hired Davis in 2006, said that report will help. He even called schools supporting Davis for jobs last fall and is willing to do it again.

"I hope Butch gets another chance," Baddour said. "I believe he will get another chance. I think he deserves another opportunity at the collegiate level."

The infractions, including players taking jewelry from outside the program and receiving improper assistance on papers, touched Davis only by occurring on his watch. When he fired Davis, chancellor Holden Thorp said he didn't believe Davis knew of the violations, including by a tutor who had worked previously with Davis' teenage son and an assistant tied to an NFL agent.