Lombardi lawyer: General manager ‘hasn’t been told anything about the nature of UNC’s investigation’
Michael Lombardi, the University of North Carolina’s football general manager who is on leave as the university conducts an investigation into him, hasn’t been told of the nature of the university’s probe and is eager to clear his name, his lawyer said in an emailed statement to WRAL.
Lombardi, UNC football coach Bill Belichick’s first hire in December 2024, was on paid administrative leave Monday and is under investigation by Office of University Counsel in a personnel matter, the school previously announced.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported on the statement from Tom Mars, a high-profile lawyer in college athletics, who has been retained by Lombardi. In the statement, Mars said Lombardi is fully cooperating with UNC’s investigation and is urging the public to avoid jumping to conclusions.
“Michael hasn’t been told anything about the nature of UNC’s investigation and welcomes the opportunity to clear his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo on social media,” Mars said. “He is fully cooperating with UNC and expects the investigation will be swift, thorough, and fair. Michael would ask that people have the decency to let the process run its course before jumping to any conclusions about the nature of the investigation or whether there’s any merit to whatever has been alleged.”
The statement is Lombardi’s first public response since UNC announced he had been placed on leave. Lombardi hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment from WRAL, including on Friday evening. A UNC spokesman declined comment on Mars’ statement Friday night.
Lombardi, a longtime confidant of Belichick, worked with Belichick in the NFL with Cleveland and New England. He initiated contact with John Preyer, who was then the chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, to tell the school of Belichick’s interest in coaching the Tar Heels. Lombardi was general manager of the Cleveland Browns in 2013, but he hadn’t worked in college football since the 1980s before being hired at UNC. He is the highest-paid general manager in college football at $1.5 million annually.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said Thursday that the school “learned of some concerns last week.” He declined to discuss the specifics of the allegations, citing the ongoing investigation and personnel privacy. Some media reports have said a human resources complaint led to Lombardi being placed on paid administrative leave.
“If something has gone wrong, we want to know about it,” Roberts said. “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.”
UNC athletics director Steve Newmark said Thursday that the university is hopeful there will be an expedited process. Asked Friday by WRAL if he thinks it will be resolved before the first game of the season, Newmark said: “I hope so.”
On Thursday, he told reporters at a press event: “It’s paramount for us to do what’s right to make sure it’s a full and fair review, and that we don’t do anything to compromise the integrity of the process. And because there are so many confidential personnel details, that’s why there is so much restraint on sharing anything while the process plays out.
“From our perspective, we believe this will be the case — we’re hopeful that it will be an expedited process, because essentially what is important to us is trying to make sure we’re doing what’s right for the university and the athletic department and our student-athletes, is to ensure that once we get the results of the process, we take them into consideration and then we act quickly on whatever action may be appropriate based on those findings.”
Belichick said the program is adjusting duties in Lombardi’s absence. UNC opened preseason practice Thursday as it begins its second season under Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots but struggled in his first collegiate season. The Tar Heels finished 4-8 in 2025.
