Belichick, UNC Avoid Investigation Questions With Program In Flux

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick mostly declined to comment on the university’s ongoing investigation into the football program in his first media availability since GM Michael Lombardi stepped down on Sept. 3 and more details of a school investigation into the program’s culture were reported.

“I understand the importance of the work that’s being done by the investigative team,” Belichick said Monday in his weekly press conference after a UNC staffer informed reporters that Belichick would not discuss the investigation because it remains active. “Obviously our high standard here—our code of conduct and doing things the right way and making sure that our student athletes are given the utmost, the best treatment, the very best care, and the very best coaching that we can possibly give them. So, that’s critically important to us.”

The Tar Heels had a bye week after upsetting TCU 15–10 on Aug. 29 in Week 0 in Dublin, Ireland. UNC hosts FCS school East Tennessee State on Saturday in their home opener before visiting Clemson on Sept. 19 to open ACC play.

Lombardi resigned just over a month after he had been placed on paid administrative leave following a human resources complaint being filed against him by a former UNC employee. 

Beyond Lombardi’s situation, UNC investigators have been “questioning people about whether defensive coordinator Steve Belichick [Bill’s son] used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player—and, separately, about whether a member of UNC’s recruiting staff had a sexual relationship with a player,” according to Raleigh-based WRAL News. The investigators also “asked about possible sexual relationships between assistant coaches and recruiting staff,” per the report. Steve Belichick is on medical leave and Bill Belichick declined to comment on his status Monday.

Belichick, while declining to comment on most questions related to the investigation, said Monday that he thinks he has “a good relationship with the players” and that he and his staff “do a good job of staying on top of the players, holding them accountable for the things that they need to do, both on and off the field, as student athletes, and as football players.” 

When asked if the university has asked him to change anything about how he runs the football program, Belichick said, “No. I have an ongoing relationship, communication with the university, and they’ve been very supportive—a great working relationship with those people. In the end, we want to run the program in the very best way. And if there’s things we need to do to correct it, then we’ll obviously do them.”

In the wake of Lombardi’s leave and eventual resignation, Belichick said the program has “redistributed some things and we’ll continue to stay with that for the time being.” There are “no updates” on a potential new GM, Belichick said.