
September 17th, 2026
North Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, who is the son of head coach Bill Belichick, has resigned from his position as the school concludes a probe into its football program.
In a statement issued Thursday morning, the school announced that Steve Belichick’s resignation would take effect in late October, upon the conclusion of a medical leave that had been announced early in preseason camp.
This rendered him the second high-profile figure to resign amid the probe, following general manager Michael Lombardi earlier this month.
UNC’s statement follows the school’s investigation, which “determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct,” according to the statement.
The school neither disclosed the specifics of those actions identified by the review nor had it discussed details of the investigation initiated in late July.
"The investigation additionally determined that these actions were confined in scope and did not constitute a systemic failure," the school said.
In a Thursday interview with Reporters, The Assembly and WRAL of Raleigh, lead investigator and attorney Nate Huff, alongside UNC general counsel Paul Newton, declined to discuss detailed findings or the conduct of specific individuals.
Nevertheless, Huff confirmed that his team had probed allegations tied to potential drug use, inappropriate relationships and NCAA rule violations within the program while conducting roughly 60 interviews.
“At no point did I feel that the university counsel’s office, university leadership, or athletics leadership was limiting or steering me,” Huff said.
“I felt they were the people I would go to in order to get the access I needed to get to the bottom of all this.
And that was my experience.
So my team and I were able to immerse ourselves in Carolina football—its compliance and its culture—as well as in these allegations.
The list of interviewees included Bill Belichick, who won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots before he moved from the NFL to college football in December 2024.
The investigation continued throughout preseason camp and then as the Tar Heels beat TCU and East Tennessee State to begin Belichick's second season.
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“He made his entire staff and himself available to me throughout the football season,” Huff said.
“And the coaches I spoke with, the people I talked to in that building, the only thing they asked me was, ‘When do you need me?’ and ‘Where do you need me to be?’
Thus, I was afforded the opportunity to thoroughly investigate football at the height of the football season.
Moreover, I had access to individuals, including figures such as Coach Bill Belichick.
At Bill Belichick’s first news conference after Lombardi’s Sept. 3 resignation, the questions he faced had largely nothing to do with football.
Belichick said he believed his program “totally” had an atmosphere of following the rules, saying: “Obviously everybody’s responsible, including me, for doing things properly.
And we intend to do that.”
That same day, Dean Stoyer, UNC's vice chancellor for communications, who released Thursday's statement, said the school "continues to support Bill Belichick and the Carolina football program."
The school announced its probe in late July, in the days following its placement of Lombardi on paid administrative leave.
On the very day Lombardi resigned, WRAL of Raleigh, citing anonymous sources, reported on the nature of the questions posed to certain interviewees, some of which centered on Steve Belichick.
Furthermore, Tom Mars, an attorney representing Lombardi, informed The Athletic that the school’s investigation had expanded to encompass inquiries into potentially “inappropriate” relationships that did not involve his client.
At the time, Mars did not respond to a call or email from reporters concerning that remark.
On Thursday, the school declined to comment on the individuals under investigation, citing its university policy regarding personnel matters.
UNC stated that “all necessary corrective actions are now underway” and that it regards the investigation as “resolved.”
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September 17th, 2026

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