After taking the UNC head coaching job, Bill Belichick first hired Michael Lombardi as the Tar Heels’ GM for his NFL track record. But his debut season in college was disappointing, with UNC missing bowl eligibility for the first time since 2018. A few days ago, the program put the GM on paid administrative leave. Now, the Chapel Hill chancellor, Lee Roberts, has finally addressed the issue.

“With respect to football, we learned of some concerns last week. We put Mike Lombardi on administrative leave, as you know,” Roberts said during his July 30 appearance on WRAL. “We began an investigation. If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it. If something needs to be fixed, we will be sure to fix it. There’s a standard of excellence here that all of us are entrusted with adhering to. We’re looking forward to the season.”

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, UNC’s decision to place Lombardi on paid leave stemmed from a former school front-office employee filing an HR complaint. “Just say one other thing here about the football investigation. I’m disappointed that we’re talking about this,” Roberts said.

The chancellor would rather discuss all the wonderful things at UNC and how the university is providing opportunities for students in North Carolina. That doesn’t mean he is diluting the severity of the case.

The investigation is likely to take some time. That means the GM will not be around for the immediate future. Insider reports after the news revealed that Lombardi wasn’t really the most liked person at the Tar Heels. According to Bruce Feldman, many old-timers saw him as arrogant, someone who dismissed the views of the people who have been with the program for a long time.

“He is, without question, the worst general manager in college sports,” Feldman said on the Audible, as reported by Awful Announcing. “I go back to the big story we did last year, and he was a focal point of it. It’s the arrogance; it’s the abrasiveness.”

However, Bill Belichick had a prior connection with the GM, and that’s why he brought him to Chapel Hill. Before joining UNC, Lombardi worked with Belichick in the NFL as an assistant coach with the Browns and the Patriots. But their reunion didn’t lead to a successful year for UNC in 2025.

Despite that, Lombardi was quick to set the record straight during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this March, stating, “We don’t listen to the noise. We focus on what we have to focus on, and we move forward.”

UNC head coach’s take on Michael Lombardi

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach brought Michael Lombardi to UNC to build a 33rd NFL team in college in his first year. But the results didn’t go their way. Now, in his second season with the school, whether his decision to hire Lombardi would cost UNC or not is a different context.

But the head coach didn’t comment much on Michael Lombardi being placed on leave. “We’re at a particular time of the year now where there are certain things that are in play, and certain things that are in play that will happen later in the calendar year,” said Belichick, as reported by NBC Sports.

“So we’re taking it day to day and work through the things that are on the table right now. We’ve made a few adjustments, yeah. But I mean, we’re working through the process.”

Belichick is known for not discussing non-football topics with the media. He followed a similar strategy in this case as well.