Aug 29, 2021; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick looks up during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Belichick’s general manager at North Carolina is not happy with a report that he says is erroneous.
On Monday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio published a report saying that Belichick’s staff at North Carolina was “slow to take shape,” which he claimed was leading to “frayed nerves” in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The main point of the story was that Belichick has not filled out his coaching staff at North Carolina yet and has a small crew put together so far. That led Florio to report that some are concerned Belichick may still be angling for an NFL return.
Michael Lombardi, who worked with Belichick in Cleveland and is now UNC’s general manager, ripped into the report. He said that the Tar Heels had just added three staff members on Sunday, the day before the report came out.
“We are not slow, just being diligent, hired three people on Sunday, not one is nervous other than this erronous (sic) report. A completly (sic) fabracated (sic) story. thank you,” Lombardi wrote on X in response to the story.
We are not slow, just being diligent, hired three people on Sunday, not one is nervous other than this erronous report. A completly fabracated story. thank you. https://t.co/eQysGzgGyv
— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiuncgm) January 14, 2025
Is Belichick slow-playing things at North Carolina because he’s trying to get back to the NFL? Or was that report just poorly timed considering Lombardi claims UNC made three hires the day before the story was published?
College football is not like the NFL; there are limitations on how many paid staff members a team can have. North Carolina already has an offensive coordinator (Freddie Kitchens), a defensive coordinator (Steve Belichick) and a GM (Lombardi). Plus, they have Belichick. It seems like they have some of the most important pieces covered, and Lombardi is fighting back against Florio’s narrative.
