By R.L. Bynum
North Carolina has concluded its investigation into the football program’s culture and climate, and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick has resigned effective Oct. 27, once his current medical leave ends.
In addition, wide receiver Keeyun Chapman has been suspended indefinitely.
Dean Stoyer, UNC’s vice chancellor for communications and marketing, said in a statement that the investigation determined certain actions within the program “demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct,” but described those actions as “isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.”
Steve Belichick has been on medical leave since Aug. 6. The university did not offer any additional explanation of the nature of that leave or the specific findings connected to Steve Belichick’s role in the investigation.
Steve Belichick, 39, was entering his second season running UNC’s defense after following his father to Chapel Hill in 2025, a stop that came after one season as Washington’s defensive coordinator and more than a decade on Bill Belichick’s staff with the New England Patriots.
With no interim coordinator named during his absence, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, defensive backs and safeties coach Brian Belichick, the youngest of Bill Belichick’s sons at 37, has been making the defensive calls. CBS Sports reported that this will be the plan for the rest of the season.
Brian Belichick came to UNC after a nine-year run with the New England Patriots. He began there in 2016 as a scouting assistant before moving into coaching roles, eventually taking over as the team’s safeties coach from 2020 through 2023, a run that included two Super Bowl titles. Brian played both football and lacrosse at Trinity College.
Wednesday’s statement also reaffirmed that General Manager Michael Lombardi resigned from the program effective Sept. 3, a departure the university had already announced.
Lombardi’s resignation came after he had been on paid administrative leave since July 27 amid the same investigation, which stemmed from a human resources complaint filed by a former front office employee and was conducted with the guidance of outside counsel.
The Athletic reported that, according to a team source, operations around the football program have gone much more smoothly with Lombardi and Steve Belichick out of the picture.
The university said all necessary corrective actions stemming from the investigation are now underway, to be overseen jointly by Carolina Athletics and the Office of University Counsel, and that it now considers the matter “resolved.”
UNC added that, consistent with its policy on personnel matters, it will not comment further on individuals involved, though it said it would evaluate any credible new information that arises going forward.
Chapman was suspended indefinitely after an incident Tuesday night. The university did not detail the nature of the incident, but multiple reports indicated that he was involved in a traffic stop at 1050 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Chapel Hill, and faces a misdemeanor gun charge.
Chapman faces an open-ended suspension that the university tied directly to the same broader message as the investigation’s resolution.
“Chapman’s suspension, like the actions resulting from the investigation, reflect the University’s commitment to accountability and the well-being of its student-athletes,” Stoyer said in a statement, adding that the action is intended to help “make Carolina Football a stronger program and one that continues to earn the pride of the entire Carolina community.”
The announcement brings a measure of closure to a stretch of turmoil that began in late July and touched nearly every level of the program’s off-field leadership, from the front office to the defensive coaching staff.
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