Bill Belichick announces son Steve is on medical leave from North Carolina football program

The hits unluckily support coming for the North Carolina shot program, arsenic Bill Belichick announced connected Thursday greeting that his son, Steve Belichick, is presently not with the team.

As the Tar Heels proceed preparing for the upcoming play during autumn camp, they are doing truthful without their antiaircraft coordinator. During his media availability, the UNC caput manager told reporters that his son, Steve, was connected aesculapian leave.

"Just privation to fto everyone cognize that my lad Steve’s connected aesculapian leave, and look guardant to getting him backmost arsenic soon arsenic possible," Bill Belichick noted astir his son. "It’s a aesculapian concern truthful I truly can’t marque immoderate further remark connected that."

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The 2026 play is pivotal for North Carolina to crook things around, coming disconnected a 4-8 twelvemonth that saw Bill Belichick look a fig of questions astir the trajectory of his shot programme amid high-handed scrutiny from Tar Heel fans.

Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and caput manager Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels look connected during the 2nd fractional of a crippled against the TCU Horned Frogs astatine Kenan Stadium successful Chapel Hill, N.C., connected Sept. 1, 2025. (Getty Images)

There are rightfully plentifulness of skeptics regarding the occupation Belichick has done truthful acold successful Chapel Hill, chiefly relying connected the transportation portal to unafraid wins successful a highly competitory fiscal marketplace for student-athletes.

But adjacent disconnected the field, determination proceed to beryllium questions astir whether turning the North Carolina programme into the NFL's '33rd team' would really enactment retired successful the agelong run. Early results amusement that the enactment among fans is teetering, with an upcoming play that is not apt to nutrient an ACC title run.

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In reality, UNC would beryllium fortunate to scope a decent postseason vessel crippled this season, if we're going disconnected endowment alone.

Investigation into GM Michael Lombardi continues

Before autumn campy could adjacent get underway, North Carolina was already dealing with off-field issues.

It was announced by the schoolhouse connected July 27 that wide manager Michael Lombardi had been placed connected administrative leave, pursuing a quality resources ailment being filed against him.

"The University of North Carolina astatine Chapel Hill has placed Michael Lombardi, wide manager for the Carolina shot program, connected paid administrative leave, effectual immediately," the schoolhouse announced astatine the time.

"As is modular process with unit matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this taxable further, and has nary reflection connected its merits."

ANOTHER CRISIS FOR BILL BELICHICK: UNC PLACES GM MICHAEL LOMBARDI ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE AMID INVESTIGATION

General manager Michael Lombardi of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks connected earlier a crippled against the Syracuse Orange astatine JMA Wireless Dome successful Syracuse, New York, connected Oct. 31, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

Since then, Lombardi has hired noted lawyer Tom Mars to correspond him during the school's probe into the matter.

On Wednesday, WRAL-TV reported that the schoolhouse had hired 3 extracurricular attorneys to assistance North Carolina successful its probe into the quality resources ailment against Lombardi.

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Mars told ESPN that his lawsuit is already dealing with the tribunal of nationalist sentiment without facts pertaining to the investigation.

"Michael hasn’t been told thing astir the quality of UNC’s probe and welcomes the accidental to wide his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo connected societal media," Tom Mars said. "He is afloat cooperating with UNC and expects the probe volition beryllium swift, thorough, and fair.

"Michael would inquire that radical person the decency to fto the process tally its people earlier jumping to immoderate conclusions astir the quality of the probe oregon whether there’s immoderate merit to immoderate has been alleged."

Pivotal play for North Carolina, particularly for Bill Belichick

There is nary denying that this volition beryllium a make-or-break twelvemonth for the North Carolina caput coach, arsenic the scenery continues to alteration astir assemblage football.

A 4-8 grounds is not precisely what UNC officials were anticipating erstwhile they hired Bill Belichick, hoping helium could bring his NFL occurrence to the collegiate level. While the selling campaigns were moving rampant to commencement the 2025 season, the results near galore astir the assemblage questioning whether hiring Belichick was the astute move.

North Carolina shot caput manager Bill Belichick and wide manager Michael Lombardi look connected from the sideline against TCU astatine Kenan Memorial Stadium successful Chapel Hill, North Carolina, connected Sept. 1, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

Now, entering a play without overmuch fanfare astir field has led to plentifulness of radical wondering if this is really going to beryllium a semipermanent solution successful bringing UNC backmost into the assemblage shot conversation.

Also, with truthful galore changes taking spot astir the athletics successful presumption of NIL and revenue-sharing, keeping the absorption connected shot has been a task that galore astir the programme did not expect being a occupation erstwhile Belichick archetypal took the job.

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But, present we are, arsenic North Carolina prepares to look TCU successful the play opener with plentifulness astatine involvement for a fig of parties involved.