Bill Belichick gives update on UNC amid Michael Lombardi, Steve Belichick absences
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North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick said the program is adjusting without general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick amid fall camp, with only 12 days before the Tar Heels open their season against TCU in Dublin.
Lombardi, the highest-paid general manager in college football, has been on administrative leave since July 27 amid an ongoing investigation stemming from a human resources complaint from the program's front office. Steve Belichick, Belichick's son, is on medical leave, which was announced Aug. 6.
“People have picked up in areas, and we’ve done the things that we had to do at this time of year,” Belichick told reporters on Friday, Aug. 14. “Things will change, as they always do, on the calendar, as recruiting changes, as the regular season comes into play and so forth.
"But for this period, it’s been the same until it changes, which will be in late August, early September.”
Lombardi, the longtime associate of Belichick, will be important for the program once the recruiting dead period ends Aug. 30, as recruits can make official visits to campus from Sept. 1 through Nov. 29. A North Carolina spokesperson has noted before each of Belichick's news conferences that coaches and players can't address the Lombardi situation, according to the Fayetteville Observer, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Belichick hopes the investigation "will be resolved soon," though.
Belichick also declined to comment on an unknown timeline regarding his son's return to the team, noting he won't touch on who will be the team's defensive play caller should Steve Belichick be unavailable for the season opener.
“Well, the season doesn’t start today,” Belichick said, “so you get a bunch of hypothetical questions.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Belichick gives update on UNC amid Michael Lombardi, Steve Belichick absences
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