Lombardi won’t have to pay UNC for resigning early

Michael Lombardi, who resigned Thursday as the general manager of the University of North Carolina’s football program, won’t have to pay the university for leaving before the expiration of his contract, a person familiar with the mechanics of his departure told WRAL. The university, likewise, doesn’t owe Lombardi any additional money.

2026-09-05

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly. 

The arrangement suggests the departure was a negotiated exit, legal analysts say, amid a widening probe into the team led by head coach Bill Belichick. Lombardi’s contract contained a buyout clause for voluntary termination, such as resigning by choice.

Lombardi, a longtime confidant of Belichick, was placed on administrative leave in July, days before UNC launched an investigation into unspecified allegations related to the suspension. He didn’t give a reason for his resignation Thursday, beyond saying in a statement “it’s best for me to resign my position as GM to allow the team to focus on the ‘26 season.”

UNC hasn’t provided specifics about the probe, saying it’s a personnel matter. The investigation is ongoing, the university said Thursday after WRAL reported new details about the widening scope of the inquiry — including investigators’ questions about allegations of sex and drug use within the football program. UNC didn’t respond to an additional series of requests for comment Friday.

Until his resignation, Lombardi was the highest-paid college football general manager in the country. His employment contract, signed in April 2025, contained a buyout clause requiring him to pay the university half of his base salary for the remainder of his contract if he were to voluntarily terminate his employment after Jan. 15, 2026. For Lombardi’s three-year contract, which paid him a base salary of about $1.5 million annually, that works out to a voluntary-termination buyout cost of roughly $1 million based on the day he resigned and remainder of his contract. 

That he’s walking away without having to pay anything suggests the departure might not have been voluntary, said J. Andrew Fine, a Durham lawyer who represents athletics-related clients. 

“It symbolizes that he thought he was going to get fired when the [investigators’] report came out,” said Fine, who doesn’t represent Lombardi and doesn’t have knowledge of the reasons for his departure but provided general analysis based on his representation of athletes and coaches in similar contract negotiations. 

The nature of the departure appears as if Lombardi “didn't want to be fired for cause,” Fine said. “The effective difference is that he doesn't get paid either way. ... I think he just didn't want the bad press involved.” 

Lombardi didn’t respond to a request for comment from WRAL about his resignation Thursday or Friday.

Lombardi’s departure came hours after WRAL asked UNC leaders a series of questions as it prepared to report new details about the investigation. 

People familiar with the investigation told WRAL that outside lawyers hired to conduct the inquiry are asking people close to the program about whether defensive coordinator 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.

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.

As general manager, Lombardi oversaw recruiting and negotiations with existing and incoming players, among other aspects of the program. 

Lombardi’s contract required him to abide by UNC policies, as well as “policies, regulations and rules that apply to this position,” and that he must cooperate with any investigations. Under the contract, the university could have fired Lombardi for cause if it found a major violation of any state or federal law or any policies or rules set by the NCAA, ACC, and the university. The university can decide what it considers a major violation. Lombardi’s contract also noted that he could have been  fired for failing to report infractions, including instances in which sexual harassment may have occurred, or if he was found to have permitted or condoned illicit drug use.

Lombardi’s administrative leave lasted more than a month before his resignation Thursday evening.

Lombardi’s resignation came days after his lawyer, Tom Mars, told ESPN and The Athletic that he didn’t believe UNC had cause to fire him. If North Carolina had fired Lombardi with cause, it wouldn’t have had to pay him any additional salary. If North Carolina terminated Lombardi without cause, then the university would have owed Lombardi the rest of his salary. Mars didn’t respond to a request for comment Friday.

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 was Belichick’s first hire after getting the job.

But 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.

“If UNC had grounds to fire Michael for cause, they wouldn’t need to conduct such a far-ranging, lengthy witch hunt,” Mars told The Athletic last week. “They would have done so by now. I think the motive behind the investigation goes further than a $1.5 million buyout. After all, UNC could fire Michael (or the athletic director of any head coach) for no reason at all just by paying their buyout. In today’s world, $1.5 million is just a drop in the bucket, so there must be other reasons behind this multimillion-dollar investigation."

People familiar with the investigation have told WRAL that investigators are also asking people about the culture of the football program under Bill Belichick, raising some speculation about his future with the program.

Bill Belichick’s contract is worth $50 million over five years, though only the first three years and $30 million are guaranteed. It requires him to abide by many of the same provisions outlined in Lombardi’s contract. It also requires him to “promote an atmosphere of compliance” and to maintain institutional control in the program, ensuring that rules and policies of the university, NCAA and ACC are followed — and that potential violations are reported. The contract  also says he’s responsible for the conduct of his assistant coaches and other program employees.

“Lombardi's actions could be construed as something that Belichick was responsible for because he's the head of the football program,” said Fine, the Durham lawyer.

If UNC decided to fire Bill 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.

Fine predicts it will be difficult for Belichick to last in the role if the team doesn’t outperform expectations on the field this year. In addition to an array of off-field challenges — including the suspension of an assistant coach that coincided with a memo reminding members of the program that selling complimentary tickets could violate NCAA rules — fielding a winning team faces challenges without a general manager and a defensive coordinator.

Without Lombardi or Steve Belichick, UNC posted its biggest victory in the Belichick era on Aug. 29, defeating TCU 15-10 in Dublin, Ireland. The Tar Heels (1-0) host East Tennessee State University on Sept. 12. The schedule gets considerably tougher after that with games at Clemson and against No. 4 Notre Dame to follow. The Tar Heels also face No. 7 Miami and No. 24 Louisville — both in Chapel Hill — later this season.

“Where the rubber meets the road is the boosters and the people who put money into the program,” Fine said. “And what do those people want to see? They want to see wins, and they want to see a program that's not in complete disarray, that's not falling apart, that doesn't have all of these problems.”