By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — There was one subject most reporters wanted to ask Coach Bill Belichick about, but he did his best to weave around the questions that were asked in dozens of ways.
With questions swirling around the program after Michael Lombardi resigned as general manager, there were news reporters from every Triangle TV station, in addition to the sports anchors, and two stations had news anchors on hand for Monday morning’s press conference at the Kenan Football Center.
The theme of his answers might as well have been: “We’re on to ETSU,” UNC’s noon opponent in Saturday’s home opener.
Across WRAL, The Athletic, ESPN and others, the throughline was the same: the reporting suggests this was never just about Lombardi, and the investigation into UNC’s football program is not close to finished.
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WRAL broke the most significant new ground Thursday, reporting that lawyers the university hired, Nate Huff and McNair Nichols of Barnes & Thornburg, had questioned people associated with the program about whether defensive coordinator Steve Belichick used drugs at UNC’s facilities or provided them to at least one player.
WRAL traced the interviews back to the two attorneys through people familiar with the process who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation, a level of sourcing detail that signaled the outlet was confident enough in its reporting to publish before UNC responded to its questions.
Reporters were told before the press conference that Belichick couldn’t address those subjects, but they tried to pry answers out of him anyway. When asked directly how his son Steve Belichick was handling the process, Belichick offered little.
“Still, he’s still on medical leave,” Belichick said. “We’re focused on getting off to a good start at home and playing, competing well against ETSU. We had a good game to build on from last week, but that’s over, and so now we’re on to week two.”
The deflections continued from there. Asked whether he had been interviewed by investigators or made aware of any complaints, Belichick’s answer was brief and unbending.
“Again, we’re not allowed to talk about the investigation,” he said.
Pressed on whether he believed his program had “an atmosphere of compliance,” Belichick answered, “Yeah, totally,” before reporters moved on to why investigators were asking about drug use and sexual misconduct within the program at all. He wouldn’t engage with that line of questioning either, repeatedly redirecting to preparation for Saturday.
One reporter asked what indications existed, based on the past year of reporting, that Belichick was in control of his program. He gave a fragmented answer that trailed off before another reporter followed up by asking how, given the results on the field and the fractures within his own staff, players could still trust him.
“We’re day by day, and we’re definitely doing the best we can to prepare for ETSU,” Belichick said. “They have a great program. They play very competitively. We’ve seen that the last two weeks, and that’s what our focus is. That’s our goal on Saturdays, to go out there and play as well as we can against them at home.”
Asked whether he understood, under NCAA rules clarified in 2023, that he was in charge of all compliance within the program, and when he first learned what was going on, Belichick again sidestepped specifics.
“I’m aware of all the incidental rules,” he said. “I can’t tell you that I know the rule book word for word, but that’s kind of the way it’s been here for the last few weeks. We’ve redistributed some things, and continue to stay with that for the time being. I’m focused on ETSU. That’s what our team’s doing.”
Reporters asked whether parents had contacted the program with concerns about what they had read, and whether players needed reassurance that the program was operating differently than perceptions suggested.
Belichick said no parents had called him, and when pressed on whether players had voiced concern, he said he talks to his team daily and believes he has a good relationship with them.
“I keep them informed and do the best I can, and our staff does the best they can,” Belichick said. “We do a good job of staying on top of the players, holding them accountable for the things that they need to do, both on and off the field as student athletes and as football players, and to prepare the team to be ready to play hard and play well on Saturdays. That’s what we do.
“My main focus is to coach the football team, and that’s where I put my time and energy,” he said. “We’re in the middle of the season, and so that’s where we’re at. Obviously, everybody’s responsible, including me, for doing things properly, and we intend to do that.”
WCHL’s Art Chansky asked, more personally, whether it was heartbreaking to watch his oldest son’s role in the program unravel after such a long career in the sport. Belichick would not go there.
“I love all my kids, but I’m not going to comment on a medical situation,” he said. “I can’t do it. They’re all related, I get it. No updates.”
WTVD sports reporter Travon Miles asked whether the university had asked him to change how the program is run, Belichick pushed back gently on the framing of the question itself, insisting his relationship with school administrators remained strong.
“I have an ongoing relationship, communication with the university, and they’ve been very supportive,” he said. “A great working relationship with those people. In the end, we want to run the program in the very best way, and if there are things we need to do to correct it, then we’ll obviously do them.”
Asked by WRAL’s Brian Murphy whether he had spoken with Lombardi since the resignation, given their long friendship and years working together, Belichick declined to discuss it.
“I’ll keep all my conversations private, Brian,” he said. “Hope you respect that, as I would do with you.”
There were a lot of questions but few answers.
Photo via YouTube screenshot
