UNC's Belichick experiment enters year two with GM on leave and $10 million per season on the clock
North Carolina's football program opens its 2026 season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, carrying a $10 million-per-year head coaching contract that has yet to show a return. General manager Michael Lombardi sits on paid administrative leave under an active HR investigation, and Steven Belichick, the head coach's son, is on medical leave from the program. New athletic director Steve Newmark inherited the full weight of both.
Key takeaways
- North Carolina opens its 2026 football season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, while paying head coach Bill Belichick a $10 million-per-year contract that has yet to produce results.
- General manager Michael Lombardi is on paid administrative leave amid an active, university-announced HR investigation run by outside counsel, and he has retained attorney Tom Mars.
- Steven Belichick, the head coach's son, is on medical leave from the program.
- The five-year, $10-million-annual deal is guaranteed for three years, so exiting after this season would leave UNC owing one remaining year of pay.
- New athletic director Steve Newmark, who replaced Bubba Cunningham and had no role in the Belichick hire, inherited both the Lombardi and Steven Belichick situations.
North Carolina's football program opens its 2026 season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, carrying a $10 million-per-year head coaching contract that has yet to show a return. General manager Michael Lombardi sits on paid administrative leave under an active HR investigation, and Steven Belichick, the head coach's son, is on medical leave from the program. New athletic director Steve Newmark inherited the full weight of both.
The contract math
The deal runs five years at $10 million annually. Three years are guaranteed. If UNC chooses to exit after this season, the school owes one remaining year of pay. That exposure sits on the books for a program that spent most of its 2025 campaign answering questions about off-field situations rather than football.
The Lombardi situation shows how far this has strayed from the narrative UNC intended to sell. The school itself, not the athletic department, made the administrative leave announcement, placing a university-level spotlight on a football program already under scrutiny. Outside counsel was engaged to run the HR inquiry. Lombardi retained attorney Tom Mars to handle his side. The investigation is still ongoing.
What the 2025 season produced
The pitch to some board of trustee members was built around a specific reference point: what Deion Sanders did for Colorado in year one. The 2025 opener against TCU delivered the optics on schedule. The stadium drew celebrities including Michael Jordan, reporters arrived to cover the debut, and national attention followed. Belichick also brought over 60 players through the transfer portal.
The football results moved in the wrong direction. The season-ticket momentum board members had anticipated required wins to sustain it. Instead, the dominant story through the middle of the season became Belichick's relationship with his 25-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson, whose sideline presence drew more coverage than the team's performance. Donors funding the roster were not prepared for that.
What to watch
Newmark replaced longtime AD Bubba Cunningham and holds no prior stake in the Belichick hire. If this season tracks like last year, the question of whether Newmark would install his own coach becomes central. The board members who approved this deal are now working from a lower bar: a December bowl game as evidence the program is moving. The Lombardi investigation remains open, and its outcome is the next concrete event on the tape.
Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on August 11, 2026. Source: foxnews.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.