North Carolina’s football front office took another hit on Thursday, with general manager Michael Lombardi resigning while an investigation into his conduct remains open.
The school said Lombardi stepped down after being on paid administrative leave since July 27. ESPN reported that the leave came after a “human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee.” Even with Lombardi out of the role, the university said the review is not over.
“The University will continue its ongoing investigation and will consider all appropriate corrective actions responsive to the information it learns,” North Carolina said in a statement.
Lombardi had become a major part of Bill Belichick’s first run at UNC after a long NFL career, and he was the highest-paid general manager in college football at more than $1.5 million. The Tar Heels went 4-8 last season, then signed the No. 19 high school recruiting class in the country and opened this year with a 15-10 upset of TCU in Week 0.
In his resignation statement, Lombardi pointed to the 2026 season as the reason for his decision.
“I want to thank Chancellor Roberts and Bill Belichick for the opportunity to serve as the GM of UNC Football. I have decided its best for me to resign my position as GM to allow the team to focus on the '26 season,” Lombardi said.
Lombardi’s lawyer, Tom Mars, told WRAL on July 31 that Lombardi had not been told what he was being investigated for at that time. Mars also defended his client’s reputation.
“[Lombardi] welcomes the opportunity to clear his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo on social media,” Mars said. “Michael would ask that people ahve the decency to let the process run its course before jumping to any conclusions about the nature of the investigation or whether there's any merit to whatever has been alleged.”
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