North Carolina has placed football general manager Michael Lombardi — a longtime confidant of coach Bill Belichick — on paid administrative leave, the university said Monday in a statement.
The school didn’t provide further details. Multiple media outlets are reporting that the move is connected to a complaint filed to UNC’s human resources department.
“As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits,” the university said in its statement.
In addition, multiple media outlets are reporting a possible investigation into the Tar Heels’ football program by the College Sports Commission, which regulates revenue sharing and name, image and likeness deals in collegiate sports. The Athletic reports that Lombardi’s actions are believed to be of interest to the Commission.
Lombardi, 67, is a former longtime NFL executive who was a member of the Cleveland Browns’ front office during Belichick’s stint as the team’s head coach in the early 1990s. Lombardi was assistant to Belichick’s New England Patriots coaching staff from 2014 to 2016.
When six-time Super Bowl winner Belichick was named UNC coach in December 2024, Lombardi was brought on board almost immediately to help the Tar Heels navigate the changing college athletic landscape.
“Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” Lombardi told reporters in February 2025. “We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team, because everybody involved with our program has had some form of aspect in pro football.”
The Tar Heels went 4-8 last year. They are set to open preseason camp this week before starting the season against Texas Christian in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 29.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
