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The chancellor for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill urged on Thursday that the university did not need to do any of this.
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“Nobody made us do an investigation,” said chancellor Lee Roberts, referring to an independent, internal investigation into the Tar Heels football program. “Nobody made us hire an external firm. Nobody made us reveal the existence of an investigation.”
But the investigation into what UNC athletic director Steve Newmark called “serious” allegations was conducted in response to inquiries from former employees, UNC athletic director Steve Newmark said.
And Roberts added it was “because we care about the conduct and standards of the football program.”
Roberts and Newmark met with media in a break of the UNC Board of Trustees’ meeting on Thursday to address the investigation, which Newmark said provided “unfettered” access to the football program for investigators. Multiple reports said investigators asked questions surrounding defensive coordinator and Steve Belichick’s medical leave, and the reasons behind it. Allegations within multiple reports included providing illicit substances to a player, and possible inappropriate relationships between staff and players and upper-level employees and their subordinates.
The university announced on Sept. 17 that Steve Belichick, who is the son of Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick, will resign at the conclusion of his medical leave. The university’s statement also referenced the previous resignation of former general manager Michael Lombardi.
Though it concluded last week, both Roberts and Newmark said work continues. The “change at the leadership position” for Lombardi and Steve Belichick was the first of two “significant outcomes” from the investigation, Newmark said. But there will also be a “corrective action plan” to sustain a culture of accountability for the program.
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“We are putting in place a training program, we will have reporting mechanisms, we will have policy enforcement that we will continue to constantly monitor as we go through the year,” Newmark expanded. “That will involve more than just the football program. That will involve myself, the athletic department, and the office of University Council.”
Investigators conducted “over 60 interviews” during the course of the investigation.
A statement from the university on Sept. 17, the morning the investigation included, said that the actions within the football program that showed a “disregard” for North Carolina’s ethics and values were “isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.” Newmark said on Thursday that those were “were serious allegations and serious conduct that we needed to address,” but were not found to be program-wide.
With the investigation now concluded, Newmark and Roberts both reinforced their support for Bill Belichick. Newmark said Bill Belichick is aligned in the goal to create “a safe, welcoming and respectful environment” within the football program. He referenced the constraints in order that exist in order to protect confidential personnel information as to why he cannot share further details about the specific corrective action taken in and around the program.
Newmark said he and Bill Belichick continue to have dialogue. Roberts reiterated he’s disappointed that an investigation into the football program was something he needed to discuss, but said the Tar Heels football coach continues to have his support. Newmark said he also believes that Bill Belichick can build his program to be successful on and off the field.
But there are also expectations Newmark has of all UNC’s programs and coaches.
“And Coach (Bill) Belichick understands that,” Newmark said. “He and I have been working on how we can strengthen our oversight, our compliance, our reporting, and our accountability in order to meet the standards of the university. So I think we’re aligned in those efforts. We just need to continue to take more steps to ensure that we enforce that and instill that into the football program. “
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This story was originally published September 24, 2026 at 1:06 PM.