CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — University of North Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is resigning after an independent investigation into the football program’s culture and climate found that certain actions showed “a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct,” the university said Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026.

Belichick, the son of head coach Bill Belichick, has been on medical leave for more than a month. His resignation takes effect Oct. 27, 2026, when that leave ends, UNC said. The university has not publicly detailed the medical leave.

In a statement released through Vice Chancellor for Communications Dean Stoyer’s office and carried by WRAL and WXII, UNC said the probe “determined that certain actions demonstrated a disregard for Carolina’s values and standards of conduct” and also “found that these actions were isolated in scope and not a systemic failure.”

Lombardi already gone

The announcement comes two weeks after general manager Michael Lombardi — a longtime Bill Belichick associate — resigned effective Sept. 3. Lombardi had been on paid administrative leave before the season. WRAL reported he stepped down minutes before the station published a story on the expanding internal probe.

Steve Belichick is in the final year of a two-year, $2.7 million contract and previously coordinated Washington’s defense. North Carolina visits Clemson for its first ACC game of the season Saturday.

What UNC will and won’t say

WRAL previously reported that outside investigators hired by UNC asked people close to the program whether Steve Belichick had used drugs on the job or provided drugs to at least one player, citing people familiar with the inquiry. UNC’s Thursday statement does not name those subjects. Consistent with personnel policy, the university said there will be “no further comment on individuals,” while adding that credible new information would still be evaluated.

Outside counsel guided the investigation, UNC said. Corrective actions are underway under Carolina Athletics and the Office of University Counsel, and the university now considers the investigation resolved.

Separate player suspension

Separately, freshman wide receiver Keeyun Chapman has been suspended indefinitely after a Tuesday night incident. WRAL reported Chapman faces a misdemeanor gun charge after he was a passenger in a teammate’s car during a traffic stop; freshman receiver C.J. Sadler was cited for speeding and also will not play at Clemson. UNC tied Chapman’s suspension, like the investigation outcomes, to “accountability and the well-being of its student athletes.”

Dated Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026: UNC concludes football culture probe; Steve Belichick resigns effective Oct. 27 after medical leave; Lombardi already out Sept. 3; Chapman suspended indefinitely — WRAL, WXII, UNC statement.

Sources