Bill Belichick to speak as North Carolina football opens fall camp after GM placed on leave

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — University of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick is scheduled to speak with reporters Thursday as the Tar Heels open fall training camp, just days after general manager Michael Lombardi was placed on administrative leave.

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The team begins preseason practices Thursday at the Koman Practice Complex, marking the start of Belichick’s second season leading the program.

Earlier this week, UNC announced that Lombardi had been placed on administrative leave but did not provide a reason for the personnel decision.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the move came after a former UNC football front office employee filed a human resources complaint against Lombardi. ESPN also reported the university has opened an investigation, which prompted the administrative leave.

“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,” Dean Stoyer, UNC’s vice chancellor for communications and marketing, said in a statement Monday.

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The university has not released additional details about the investigation.

Lombardi joined the Tar Heels in December 2024 shortly after Belichick was hired, reuniting the longtime NFL colleagues.

The two first worked together with the Cleveland Browns in 1991. Lombardi later served on Belichick’s staff with the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2016, helping the organization win two Super Bowl championships. Before arriving in Chapel Hill, Lombardi also held front-office positions with the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos.

According to the UNC System employee salary database, Lombardi earns approximately $1.5 million annually, a figure believed to make him the highest-paid general manager in college football.

Belichick enters his second season at North Carolina after the Tar Heels finished 4-8 in his first year. UNC opens the 2026 season against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 29.

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