The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill spent more than $914,000 on the internal investigation into its football program that resulted in the resignations of general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichickaccording to documents obtained by WRAL and other media outlets through public records requests.
UNC launched the investigation on July 30, three days after the school announced that Lombardi had been placed on paid administrative leave. Lombardi later resigned. The investigation concluded Sept. 17 with the university announcing the eventual resignation of Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick.
“The investigation determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct,” the university announced. “The investigation also found that these actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.”
Three law firms K&L Gates, Williams Mullen and Barnes & Thornburg billed UNC for work during the investigation. Barnes & Thornburg billed the university more than $821,000 for its work, including nearly 200 hours of work from lead investigator Nate Huff and nearly 300 hours of work from partner McNair Nichols. Sixteen employees at the firm billed more than 1,000 total hours on the case. The firm also had more than $15,000 in expenses, which are included in the $821,000 figure.
“Our job was to do what we always do, which is to do an impartial and independent investigation,” Huff told WRALThe Associated Press and The Assembly after the investigation’s conclusion. “That’s why people hire us, and so that’s what we did here. Our scope was broad, so we looked into a lot of stuff. This was not a circumstance where we were targeting any individual person or any specific people. We were looking program-wide, football program-wide.”
The university hired the firms to provide legal advice and counseling “regarding the culture and compliance of the UNC-CH football program,” according to the contract between UNC and Barnes & Thornburg. It called for interviews with current and former personnel. Huff said more than 60 interviews were conducted, including at least one with Bill Belichick.
Williams Mullen was hired to provide legal advice related to any potential litigation or employment law issues arising from the investigation into Lombardi.
UNC launched the investigation based on the concerns raised by “a limited number of former employees,” UNC general counsel Paul Newton said in September.
Investigators looked into allegations of inappropriate sexual relationships among staffers and others in the program, potential drug use within the program, allegations of NCAA violations and overall workplace environment.
“Another example or another question that’s raised is the work environment within the football program,” Huff said. “Is it a safe and respectful environment? Do the young people who work there have good supervision and mentorship and all of that? The questions you’re asking get to that, too, which might be more important than who’s sleeping with who.”
Bill Belichick, one of the greatest NFL coaches of all-time and the winner of six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots, took the UNC job in December 2024. Lombardi, who played a behind-the-scenes role in his hiring, was among Belichick’s first hires. He was the highest-paid general manager in college football at $1.5 million.
After the investigation, UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts backed his second-year coach.
“Coach Belichick continues to have our support, the support of the administration and of the board [of trustees],” Roberts said. “He understands that support comes with expectations around conduct and behavior. Nobody understands that better than Coach Belichick.”
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill spent more than $914,000 on the internal investigation into its football program that resulted in the resignations of general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichickaccording to documents obtained by WRAL and other media outlets through public records requests.
UNC launched the investigation on July 30, three days after the school announced that Lombardi had been placed on paid administrative leave. Lombardi later resigned. The investigation concluded Sept. 17 with the university announcing the eventual resignation of Steve Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick.
“The investigation determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct,” the university announced. “The investigation also found that these actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.”
Three law firms K&L Gates, Williams Mullen and Barnes & Thornburg billed UNC for work during the investigation. Barnes & Thornburg billed the university more than $821,000 for its work, including nearly 200 hours of work from lead investigator Nate Huff and nearly 300 hours of work from partner McNair Nichols. Sixteen employees at the firm billed more than 1,000 total hours on the case.
Huff spoke with WRAL News in September about the investigation, its origins and what it found. According to Huff, he saw the investigation as an opportunity to assess — and provide recommendations — for improving the culture. Such efforts by outside attorneys are common in the business world when companies face compliance challenges.
After the findings of the probe were released, university leadership said they still have faith in Bill Belichickwho is in the middle of his second season with the program, but added that they would dig into any new allegations if they arise.
Source: www.wral.com
