University of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said Friday that the absence of general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick hasn’t impacted the team’s preparations — so far.
UNC opens its season on Aug. 29 against TCU in Dublin, Ireland. Lombardi, the sport’s highest-paid general manager, is on paid administrative leave as university and outside lawyers investigate complaints involving him. Steve Belichick, Bill’s son, is on medical leave, Bill Belichick announced last week.
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“It hasn’t really been an issue,” Bill Belichick said Friday. “People have picked up in areas and we’ve done the things that we had to do at this time of year. Things will change, as they always do, on the calendar, as recruiting changes, as the regular season comes into play and so forth. But for this period, it’s been the same until it changes, which will be in late August, early September.”
He added: “Hopefully this will be resolved soon.”
UNC athletics director Steve Newmark previously said the investigation is being expedited and is hopeful of some resolution before the start of the season.
Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots, was one of the top defensive coordinators in the NFL and earned two Super Bowl victories as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.
When asked if he would call plays for the Tar Heels’ defense if the season started today, Belichick said. “Well, the season doesn’t start today, so you get a bunch of hypothetical questions.”
A team spokesman said coaches and players could not address details about the Lombardi situation before Belichick's Friday morning news conference. You can watch the full press conference below.
The university have been tight-lipped about what prompted Lombardi to be placed on paid administrative leave on July 27, saying only that it involved allegations related to a "personnel matter."
“If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it,” UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said on July 30. “If something needs to be fixed, we will be sure to fix it. There’s a standard of excellence here that all of us are entrusted with adhering to.”
WRAL is working to get answers on any updates involving the investigation, including:
- What are the allegations against Lombardi?
- Could this become a criminal investigation?
- Will the program bring in an interim GM?
Lombardi, a longtime Belichick associate, was the first person Belichick hired after becoming the Tar Heels' head coach in late 2024. He is the highest-paid general manager in college football at $1.5 million under the terms of his three-year contract, which runs through the 2027 football season.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has hired at least three outside lawyers to assist with its investigation into Lombardi.
Lombardi's lawyer, Tom Mars, told WRAL on Aug. 5 that neither he nor Lombardi had been contacted by anyone involved in the investigation and that Lombardi welcomed "the opportunity to clear his name." Mars said Lombardi did not know the nature of the investigation.