The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has placed Michael Lombardi, general manager for the UNC football program, on paid administrative leave “effective immediately.”
UNC’s vice chancellor Dean Stoyer did not share the reason in Monday’s announcement but released the following statement:
“As is standard procedure with
personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from
addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits.”
Lombardi earned $1.5 million in 2025, according to a salary database of UNC System employees.
WRAL previously reported that Lombardi was one of head coach Bill Belichick’s first hires, working with him at NFL stops in Cleveland and New England. Lombardi also worked in the front offices for San Francisco, Philadelphia, Oakland and Denver over more than 30 years in the NFL. He served as the recruiting coordinator at UNLV in the early 1980s, his only previous college experience.
WRAL News is working to learn why Lombardi was placed on paid leave.