CHAPEL HILL — University of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said Monday that his team maintains an environment of compliance and that he understands the importance of the investigation into his football program and the “high standard here of our code of conduct and doing things the right way.”
The comments, made during a scheduled news conference to discuss the Tar Heels’ home opener against East Tennessee State University, were his first since the abrupt resignation of the program’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, on Thursday. Lombardi said he was stepping down “to allow the team to focus on the ‘26 season.” He hasn't responded to multiple requests for comment, and his lawyer has declined to discuss specifics of his departure with WRAL.
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Lombardi’s resignation came in the moments before WRAL reported new details about the scope of the investigation, a probe that was launched shortly after he was placed on administrative leave in July. The university hasn’t discussed specifics of the investigation, only to say it’s tied to a personnel matter and that it is ongoing.
“Coach Belichick, student athletes, and other university employees will not discuss the situation in any manner,” a team spokesman said at the start of the news conference Monday. “That is necessary to protect the integrity of the process and the rights of everyone involved.”
But the first 13 minutes of the press conference were questions about the investigation, the resignation of Lombardi, the status of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and about Bill Belichick’s commitment to compliance and his conversations with university leaders. Athletics director Steve Newmark was in attendance for the press conference.
People familiar with the investigation told WRAL that outside lawyers hired to conduct the inquiry are asking people close to the program about whether Steve Belichick used drugs at university facilities and whether he gave drugs to at least one player. Investigators are also asking about whether at least one member of UNC’s recruiting staff has a sexual relationship with at least one player, the people said, adding that investigators are also asking about similar possible relationships between recruiting staff and assistant coaches. The people said investigators have also been asking about the culture of the team under Bill Belichick, an NFL coaching legend who was hired in December 2024 to elevate the profile of the Tar Heels’ football program.
Steve Belichick, who is Bill Belichick’s son, hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment. He has been on medical leave since early last month. Bill Belichick declined to discuss his son’s situation Monday.
“I love all my kids, but I’m not going to comment on a medical situation,” said Belichick, whose other son Brian is also a defensive coach for the Tar Heels.
In his opening remarks, Belichick said that he understood “the importance of the work that's being done by the investigative team and, obviously, our high standard here of our code of conduct and doing things the right way and making sure that our student-athletes are given the utmost, the best treatment, the very best care, and the very best coaching that we can possibly give them. So that's critically important to us.”
Later, when asked if university leaders had asked him to make changes to the way he runs the program, Belichick said: “We want to run the program in the very best way. And if there’s things we need to do to correct it, then we’ll obviously do them.”
Bill Belichick’s contract stipulates that he must “promote an atmosphere of compliance” and maintain institutional control of the program, requiring him to ensure that the program complies with state and federal law and policies set by the NCAA, ACC, the university and any other regulatory body the team might be subject to. His contract also ensures that people in the program are reporting on possible violations. The contract also says he’s responsible for the conduct of his assistant coaches and other program employees, and that he also must report knowledge of the illegal use, sale or possession of drugs or the possible violation of UNC’s policies on sexual harassment or other possible sexual misconduct.
“Everybody's responsible, including me, for doing things properly, and we intend to do that,” Belichick said Monday.
He addressed the team’s culture in a series of questions from WRAL and other reporters at the news conference.
When asked whether his team maintains an environment of compliance, Belichick replied: “Yeah, totally.”
The coach noted that he was well versed in NCAA rules surrounding a coach’s responsibility for the actions of his staff.
He was asked if he was made aware of any complaints, allegations, or the kinds of questions being asked by investigators. Belichick responded: “We're not allowed to talk about the investigation.”
Asked why he thinks investigators are asking about allegations of sex and drug use within the program, he said: “I don’t know. You’re going to have to ask them.”
Belichick was then asked by a reporter: “What indications do we have, based on the last year and everything that's been reported, that you have control of this program?”
The coach replied: “If you're around here every day, I think you’d see it.”
Belichick was then asked: “Considering the results on the field, the known fractures of the staff that you've picked, how can fans trust you to lead this program to success for the rest of this season, let alone the rest of your contract?”
The coach replied: “We're day by day, and we're definitely doing the best we can to prepare for ETSU. They have a great program. They play very competitively. We've seen that the last two weeks, and that's what our focus is. So, you know, that's our goal on Saturdays: to go out there and play as well as we can against them at home.”
Lombardi, a longtime Belichick confidant who worked with the NFL coaching legend at multiple stops in the NFL, was among Belichick’s first hires. At $1.5 million, Lombardi was the highest-paid general manager in college football. Asked if he’d spoken to Lombardi about or since the resignation, Belichick said he would keep “private conversations private.”
In the absence of a permanent GM and a defensive coordinator, Bill Belichick said the program had redistributed some responsibilities over the past few weeks.
“I talk to the players on a daily basis,” he said. “I think I have a good relationship with the players. … I keep them informed and and do the best I can, and our staff does the best they can to do a good job of staying on top of the players, holding them accountable for the things that they need to do, both on and off the field, as student-athletes and as football players, and to prepare the team to be ready to play hard and play well on Saturdays. That's what we do.”
He added: “My main focus is to coach the football team, and that's where I put my time and energy, and that's what we're doing right now.”
North Carolina (1-0) won its season opener in Dublin, Ireland, defeating TCU 15-10 in what was the biggest victory of Bill Belichick’s tenure in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels’ victory is the lone win for an ACC team against an opponent from the SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 so far this season.
“Our student-athletes conducted themselves great,” Belichick said Monday. “We had a great trip to Ireland. I'm proud of our student athletes, our players, and so I think what they did in Ireland is a good example of representing our school.”
He said he was now excited to get the season started at home, noting the team’s 100th season at Kenan Stadium and “all the great people that have played and coached here.”
“We're excited to be back home,” he said. “Ireland was a good trip, but you know that's all in my rearview mirror now.”
Buyout provisions
Lombardi previously worked with Bill Belichick for two NFL franchises and on media projects during Belichick’s season out of coaching. Lombardi was the one who first contacted UNC officials to alert them to Belichick’s interest in coaching at UNC during and after the 2024 football season.
Lombardi drew much of the criticism for UNC’s poor roster in 2025 as the Tar Heels’ stumbled to a 4-8 record in Belichick’s first season, particularly in light of comments Lombardi had made about operating as the NFL’s “33rd team,” a remark meant to highlight the program’s deep experience with the league but one that came across as all-knowing about the college game.
Despite a provision in his contract that called for Lombardi to pay the university if he were to voluntarily terminate his three-year deal, the former general manager won’t have to pay the university, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Lombardi’s resignation came just days after his attorney, Tom Mars, told The Athletic that the investigation was a “witch hunt” and told ESPN that his expectation was that UNC had “absolutely no grounds to terminate his employment for cause -- nothing even close."
After Lombardi’s resignation, Mars told The Athletic that “UNC’s investigation is delving into whether people other than Michael were having ‘inappropriate relationships.’ Michael is not aware of any such relationships, nor was it his job to monitor.”
The university announced Lombardi’s resignation in a brief statement that didn’t include comments from UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, Belichick or athletics director Steve Newmark. UNC said its investigation into the football program would continue. “The University will continue its ongoing investigation and will consider all appropriate corrective actions responsive to the information it learns,” it said in the statement.
Legal analysts with experience representing sports clients in contract negotiations have speculated about Bill Belichick’s future with the program.
Belichick signed a five-year, $50-million contract with UNC with the first three years and $30 million guaranteed. His hire generated a wave of interest in the program, including the earliest sell out of home tickets in school history before the 2025 season. But the off-field headlines have far outpaced the on-field success – so far.
If UNC decided to fire Belichick without cause, the university would owe him everything he was set to earn up until Dec. 31, 2027. If it were to fire him after finding cause for termination, the university wouldn’t be on the hook for any salary, bonuses, or supplemental income after termination.
WRAL anchor Ashley Rowe, WRAL reporter Shaun Gallagher and WRAL multimedia producer Ryan Bisesi contributed to this report.