When Bill Belichick took over at North Carolina, he didn’t come alone. His sons, Steve and Brian, joined the coaching staff, while longtime confidant Michael Lombardi became college football’s highest-paid general manager. Fifteen games later, some of those trusted figures are no longer firmly in place. So naturally, attention has turned to the man who brought them all in, Belichick himself. North Carolina chancellor has now made the university’s position clear.

“Coach Belichick continues to have our support, the support of the administration and of the board [of trustees],” Roberts told the media during a break in the UNC Board of Trustees meeting, according to a report by Brian Murphy of WRAL. “He understands that support comes with expectations around conduct and behavior.”

North Carolina’s football program has seen two major departures in just three weeks. Michael Lombardi resigned three weeks ago, followed by defensive coordinator Steve Belichick last week. Both departures came amid an outside investigation into allegations of misconduct within the program. The probe examined issues including substance use, relationships, and workplace culture.

After concluding its investigation last week, North Carolina acknowledged that “certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct.” At the same time, the findings stopped short of describing the issue as widespread, stating that those actions were “isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.”

“Throughout the investigation, the University has been guided by the legal advice of outside counsel,” the statement read. “All necessary corrective actions are now underway and will be overseen by Carolina Athletics and the Office of University Counsel. With these actions, the University considers the investigation to be resolved.

“Consistent with University policy regarding personnel matters, there will be no further comment on individuals. As always, should credible new information arise, the University will evaluate it and take appropriate action consistent with its policies and responsibilities.”

Following complaints and allegations raised by former employees, UNC brought in outside investigators to examine the matter. As part of the inquiry, investigators conducted more than 60 interviews, with Bill Belichick among those who spoke with them.

While the investigation itself was independent, its actual findings and written summary have yet to be made public. Still, it cannot be ruled out that things are not going smoothly within the Bill Belichick-led program, especially given the developments since he took over as head coach.

Just last week, one UNC football player was cited for speeding, while another was charged with gun and substance offenses during a traffic stop. According to WRAL, there have been several speeding and reckless-driving charges since Belichick took over, along with faculty complaints about parking and driving habits on campus.

“We continue to take those seriously,” Newmark said. “We need to make sure we create a safe environment not only for our student athletes but for the UNC community. And we’re continuing to look at different ways to make sure that we can not only set the expectations, but when necessary, when we make mistakes, that we impose appropriate disciplinary actions to address it.”

Neither player suited up against Clemson on Saturday, with one now suspended indefinitely. Still, Roberts remains confident in Belichick, pointing to his efforts to build stronger ties between the football program and the wider campus community, from greeting students on the first day of classes to hosting fellow coaches on his radio show and having players help clean up campus on a Sunday morning.

“Those are things that, I think, are unusual for a head football coach, either here or at any other Power 4 program, and we appreciate everything he’s done to try to be part of the campus community,” Roberts said.

North Carolina boasts a 2-1 record so far this season and has been playing well compared to last season. However, with all the shake-ups happening within the program, things could take a concerning turn as they move forward.