UNC-Chapel Hill’s Football Investigation is Over. Will We Ever Know What It Found?

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill announced Thursday that it had concluded an investigation into its football program. But as with an inquiry into the School of Civic Life and Leadership earlier this year, the university isn’t saying much publicly about what it found.

UNC-CH spokesman Dean Stoyer said in a statement that the investigation “determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct.” Stoyer also wrote that the issues were “isolated in scope and not a systemic failure” and that “all necessary corrective actions are now underway.” 

But the statement did not say what happened that violated the university’s values, what the corrective actions were, or even what exactly they investigated.

UNC-CH also announced that Steve Belichick, the team’s defensive coordinator and son of Head Coach Bill Belichick, resigned. It previously announced the resignation of General Manager Michael Lombardi, after he had been placed on administrative leave. Stoyer’s statement didn’t say whether those departures were tied to the probe. 

In an interview with The Assembly, WRAL, and the Associated Press on Thursday afternoon, UNC-CH general counsel Paul Newton and Nate Huff, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg who led both investigations, provided a few additional details. But they also said secrecy is necessary to ensure the efficacy of any future investigations.

“You run the risk of losing the trust of people that you need to come forward when you gain the trust of those who have prurient interest in the issues,” Newton said. “It’s a balancing act. It’s not easy. We’re going to ask the general public to trust us. We have no reason not to effect corrective actions that work. We have no reason to want to see any concern that has been substantiated go unaddressed. It’s not in our best interest to sweep anything under the rug.”

Huff and Newton confirmed that the probe began in response to various allegations from a “limited number” of former staff. Those included reports of drug use and inappropriate relationships, as WRAL revealed earlier this month. Huff also said there were “allegations that touched on potential NCAA violations,” though Newton said they did not find any. 

Stoyer confirmed that no additional staff members have resigned in the wake of the investigation, but would not say whether anyone has been fired.

Huff emphasized the thoroughness of the process, saying his team conducted 60 interviews with “45-50 people.” Bill Belichick was a willing participant throughout, he said.

“He made his whole staff and himself available to me during football season,” Huff said. “The only thing they asked me is, ‘When do you need me, and where do you need me to be?’”

But Huff would not say what came of those interviews, what he recommended to the university, whether the university took those recommendations, or even when those conversations took place.

On Wednesday, Atlantic reporter Sally Jenkins questioned the integrity of the investigation. John Preyer, a former chair of the Board of Trustees who pushed to hire Bill Belichick in late 2024, told her there was a “civil war” within UNC-CH, with some factions undermining the coach. One anonymous source told her the investigation was a “puppet inquiry.” 

Newton dismissed the criticism.

“I’ve not read that article,” he said. “I don’t care what it says. None of that is going to impact my desire to place this university in the best possible position, depending on where the facts lead.

“None of that means anything to those of us working on what’s fact and what’s fiction about what actually happened. People can play politics and articulate their preferences. That doesn’t even resonate with us,” he continued. “I don’t care who the head coach is, we’re going to call balls and strikes.”

The Wall Street Journal editorial board raised similar doubts about the completeness of the School of Civic Life and Leadership investigation in August, citing one of its professors. UNC-CH has kept the entirety of that 400-page report secret, even after The Assembly and other outlets sued to try to obtain it. A judge ruled in the university’s favor last month. The Assembly and our partners will appeal the ruling.

In the football probe, however, there isn’t even a report to share. Huff and Newton explained that they had only discussed Huff’s findings in person.