CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) 鈥� North Carolina coach Bill Belichick opened his second preseason camp Thursday saying the program is adjusting internal duties with and the subject of a school investigation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working through some things,鈥� Belichick said before the morning鈥檚 first official practice. 鈥淲e鈥檙e at a particular time of year now where there are certain things that are in play and certain things that aren鈥檛 in play that won鈥檛 happen until later in the calendar year at some other point.
鈥淎gain, we鈥檙e taking it day to day, and working through the things that are on the table now.鈥�
The school announced Monday that Lombardi had been placed on leave but didn鈥檛 provide details as to the reason, noting that employees and athletes aren鈥檛 permitted to address the topic 鈥渁s is standard procedure with personnel matters.鈥� On Thursday morning, about 30 minutes before Belichick spoke to reporters, UNC released another statement that said its Office of University Counsel was conducting an investigation 鈥� an announcement coming just shy of a month from kickoff in Chapel Hill.
Two people with knowledge of the situation said a human resources complaint from a former employee is involved with Lombardi鈥檚 leave. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn鈥檛 commenting publicly about the specific reasons of the case.
According to university policy, the length of an administrative leave shouldn’t exceed 30 days but can vary based on issues under review.
鈥淲e’re going to let that process play out,鈥� athletic director Steve Newmark said Thursday morning of the investigation while declining to discuss specific details. 鈥淚t’s paramount for us to do what’s right to make sure it’s a full and fair review, and that we don’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the process.鈥�
Speaking later after a regularly scheduled morning meeting of the UNC trustees, chancellor Lee Roberts said Thursday that the school learned of 鈥渟ome concerns鈥� last week.
鈥淚f something has gone wrong, we want to know about it,鈥� Roberts said. 鈥淚f something needs to be fixed, we will be sure to fix it. There鈥檚 a standard of excellence here that all of us are entrusted with adhering to.鈥�
Roberts added later: “It鈥檚 distressing to me and everyone else in the administration entrusted with leadership at this remarkable university that this is something that we have to have to spend time on.鈥�
Belichick didn鈥檛 specify exactly how Lombardi鈥檚 duties have been divided among the staff, including referencing 鈥渁 few adjustments鈥� when asked about his own daily tasks.
At the college level, GMs across sports generally work what amounts to front-office roles dealing with roster construction and negotiations over player compensation, with the heaviest work coming in the offseason. In that sense, the football focus centers now more on the on-field work for a roster Lombardi helped put together ahead of the Aug. 29 opener against TCU in Dublin, Ireland.
UNC hired Belichick in December 2024, hoping the man who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles could thrive as a first-time college coach.
Belichick immediately hired Lombardi, who . Lombardi鈥檚 career as an NFL executive had included being the GM of the Cleveland Browns in 2013. And he secured a three-year deal paying him $1.5 million in base salary through the 2027 season, making him the country’s highest-paid GM, according to a USA Today salary database.
A few months into Belichick鈥檚 tenure, Lombardi said the goal was running a college program in a way similar to the NFL, because of the staff connections to the pros. That confident statement didn’t align with the on-field results, with the Tar Heels having more more double-digit losses (five) than total wins (four) in Belichick’s debut season.
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