Not many people thought legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick, who has eight Super Bowl titles to his name, would struggle at College level. However, in his first season with the Tar Heels, the man who earned the title of one of the top defensive coordinators in the NFL failed to secure the results.
He finished 2025 at 4-8 (2-6 in ACC play) with North Carolina, worse than their record the year before he arrived (6-6). But it wasn't just the results that didn't seem to go Belichick's way. He also had to place his General Manager Michael Lombardi on paid leave. He was one of the first people the head coach signed when he secured the job.
Lombardi became the sport's highest-paid General Manager as part of that deal, earning $1.5m under the terms of his three-year contract. The GM has been on paid leave since July 27, meaning he is currently still due to receive the full payment of his deal, which runs through the 2027 football season.
“A team spokesman told reporters that coaches and players would not address details regarding Lombardi”
Lombardi was placed on leave in strange circumstances, with neither the team nor Belichick confirming the reasons. The head coach gave a press conference on Friday in which he remained just as tight-lipped on the situation. A team spokesman told reporters that coaches and players would not address details regarding Lombardi.
The University has said only that the Lombardi allegations relate to a "personnel matter." The UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said last month: "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."
Belichick also hired his son Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator. He is currently out on medical leave.
With such a poor season under his belt and allegations regarding his most expensive staff member, some commentators believed Belichick may be headed for the door before the new season. However, Kalshi currently has the odds of his leaving before the new season at around 4%. In January, odds of him not making it to September were as high as 96%.