North Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick, has resigned from his position as the school concludes a probe into its football program.
The school released a statement Thursday morning saying Steve Belichick's resignation would be effective in late October at the conclusion of a medical leave, which was announced early in preseason camp.
That comes after the school's investigation “determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina's values and standards of conduct,” according to the statement. The school didn’t reveal specifics of those actions found by the review, nor had it discussed details of the investigation launched in late July.
“The investigation also found that these actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure,” the school said.
The school had previously announced the resignation of general manager Michael Lombardi amid the probe. Lombardi was an immediate hire of Bill Belichick in his NFL-to-college transition as a six-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots.
In Bill Belichick’s first news conference after Lombardi’s Sept. 3 resignation, he faced questions that largely dealt nothing with football. Belichick said he believes his program “totally” has an atmosphere of following rules, saying: “Obviously everybody’s responsible, including me, for doing things properly. And we intend to do that.”
That same day, UNC vice chancellor for communications Dean Stoyer — who released Thursday’s statement — said the school “continues to support Bill Belichick and the Carolina football program.”
The school announced its probe in late July in the days after putting Lombardi on paid administrative leave. The same day Lombardi resigned, WRAL of Raleigh cited anonymous sources in reporting the type of questions asked of some interviewees, with some focusing on Steve Belichick.
Additionally, Lombardi attorney Tom Mars told The Athletic that the school’s probe now included questions into potential “inappropriate” relationships that didn’t involve his client. Mars didn't return a call or email from The Associated Press regarding that comment at the time.
The school on Thursday declined to comment on individuals in the probe, citing university policy on personnel matters. UNC said that “all necessary corrective actions are now underway” and that it considers the investigation to be “resolved.”
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