UNC head coach Bill Belichick couldn’t get a few days to celebrate his Week 0 win over TCU as the program is embroiled in another scandal. Yesterday, UNC GM Michael Lombardi resigned from his position after more than a month of paid administrative leave. Now, Steve Belichick is also being looked at, according to a report. According to a former New England player, the head coach will always have to take responsibility when scandals happen under his watch.
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“Whoever’s under you, Unc and Joe, whoever’s on your staff, you’re responsible for their actions, even if you don’t know nothing about it,” Chad Johnson said on the September 3 episode of Nightcap in conversation with Shannon Sharpe and Joe Johnson. “The same thing, you’re the head coach of a football team, you’re responsible.”
The drama over Lombardi’s position at the Tar Heels took a new turn after his resignation. A WRAL report alleged that the lawyers conducting the Lombardi investigation were also looking into the sexual relationship between a member of UNC’s recruiting staff and a player. The report also named Steve Belichick, the UNC defensive coordinator who has been on a medical leave for around a month, for alleged drug use.
“Lawyers conducting the UNC probe focused a series of questions on Steve Belichick, according to people who were interviewed,” a September 3 WRAL report stated. “The people said they were also asked about whether Steve Belichick had used drugs at the university’s facilities or if they knew of anyone who had seen him do so. Assistant coaches can be fired for cause if it is found that they used or distributed illicit drugs, according to UNC employment contracts.”
As the university found itself in another controversy involving the name Belichick, Sharpe expressed his remorse for the head coach. Johnson, who played under Belichick at New England and reached the Super Bowl in 2011, however, disagreed with him. He opined that Sharpe’s take on the situation relieves Belichick of his accountability.
“Georgia players,” Johnson said. “You always get in trouble for doing one thing, speed, and every godda-n time, every time, and they blame the coach. I can’t control all of them. When in my eyesight, under my supervision, in the gym, in the locker room, on the field. But you still take a man, I mean.”
Johnson’s argument is not just about the latest fallout. Belichick’s UNC tenure, since signing a five-year, $50 million contract to coach college football, has seen its fair share of drama. He took over from Mac Brown in 2025 and finished with a 4-8 record. A major factor was the divided locker room. According to Pat Welter of WRAL, insiders reported a locker room fight last October as boiling tensions finally erupted.
Reports also suggested Belichick’s recruits clashed with players from Mack Brown’s stint. Parents reported favoritism, and talks of Belichick’s buyout made the rounds. The Tar Heels were surrounded by uncertainty until Belichick and ACC athletic director Bubba Cunningham released a statement to reiterate the partnership.
The longevity of this partnership is once again under threat, and this time more seriously. Whether the Belichicks get past this unscathed is a looming question, but with each issue, UNC’s reputation slips lower.
The most glaring thing about it is that it’s happening when Belichick finally got a good result on the field for the Tar Heels. UNC traveled to Ireland to take on TCU and got a redemption for their humiliating loss from the 2025 season. For once, during his tenure, it looked like Coach Belichick had figured things out. However, the stability around the program didn’t even last a week, as he will now have to answer for his longtime associate (Lombardi) and his son (Steve Belichick).