North Carolina opened its football season against TCU in Ireland on Saturday with one of the program’s biggest offseason hires still out of the picture.
General manager Michael Lombardi, Bill Belichick’s longtime confidant and right-hand man, remained on administrative leave while UNC’s general counsel and an outside law firm continued investigating a human resources complaint against him. The inquiry has now stretched into a second month.
Lombardi’s attorney, Tom Mars, did not mince words when asked about the situation. “If UNC had grounds to fire Michael for cause, they wouldn’t need to conduct such a far-ranging, lengthy witch hunt.
They would have done so by now,” Mars told The Athletic. “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 or 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.”
Lombardi, whose $1.5 million salary makes him the highest-paid GM in college football, hired Mars, a lawyer with a long list of high-profile college sports clients. Mars said Lombardi is “fully compliant” with the investigation and had previously expected it to be “swift, thorough and fair.”
The leave has already gone beyond 30 days, which is longer than the university handbook says administrative leave “should not exceed,” though the policy does allow an employee to remain on leave for the length of an investigation. Bill Belichick addressed the situation earlier, saying, “We’re taking it day by day, and, you know, working through the things that are on the table now.”
The UNC review is not the only process involving the program. The College Sports Commission is also examining the team, and Lombardi’s role is a point of interest, according to two people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to speak publicly. The CSC is the new enforcement body overseeing name, image and likeness and payment to athletes across college sports.
Mars said he does not know of any CSC investigation involving Lombardi and added that Lombardi was never asked questions by UNC tied to issues under the commission’s jurisdiction.
“I don’t recall Michael being asked any specific questions that were focused on his own conduct,” Mars said. “He also wasn’t presented with any documents showing or even suggesting he had done anything wrong or inappropriate.”
Lombardi has been a lightning rod since arriving in Chapel Hill. In his first public appearance as UNC’s general manager, he called the Tar Heels the NFL’s 33rd team, a line that struck many in college football as too confident. By mid-October, after UNC had opened with three double-digit losses to power-conference opponents, multiple sources told The Athletic that Lombardi’s arrogance and roster management were viewed as major reasons for the team’s struggles, even with a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach in charge.
The personnel issues have not stopped with Lombardi. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who went on medical leave on Aug. 6, was also absent Saturday. Bill Belichick has not said who is handling North Carolina’s defense in his son’s absence, though the head coach is expected to remain heavily involved.
Once the Tar Heels are back on campus, the question lingers: will Lombardi be there with them?
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