Investigations into the University of North Carolina’s football program led the school to rack up a legal bill of nearly one million dollars, according to Sportico.
Public records obtained by the outlet reveal over $914,000 in bills to investigate allegations against football general manager Michael Lombardi and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick – the son of UNC head coach Bill Belichick.
Lombardi was investigated after a former UNC football staffer filed a complaint with the school’s human resources department. Meanwhile, the school delved into accusations that Steve was using drugs at work.
Per public records, most of the spending went to the law firm of Barnes & Thornburg, which received $821,339 from the school. They entered an agreement with the law office on August 5.
Billing records obtained by Sportico claim the firm billed $990 an hour and assigned three partners – including principal counsel Nate Huff, 11 associates and a paralegal to the team. They billed 1,034 hours from early August to the end of September.
But further records raise scrutiny about the timeline that UNC has shared concerning when they were initially made aware of issues with the football program.
UNC paid over $914,000 to investigate alleged misconduct in Bill Belichick’s football program
The investigations led to the departures of Michael Lombardi (L) and Steve Belichick (R)
The school initially used the services of the firm K&L Gates, where Huff was previously employed, beginning on July 9, according to Sportico. Invoices show the firm was paid $86,453.50.
But that date is weeks before the school publicly announced its investigation and is 18 days before Lombardi was placed on administrative leave. On July 30, three days after Lombardi’s leave was announced, UNC chancellor Lee Roberts said the university ‘learned of some concerns’ the prior week.
Finally, a third firm – Williams, Mullen Clark & Dubin – was paid $6,670 for legal advice concerning potential litigation and employment-law issues, Sportico reported.
The University of North Carolina did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
The scope of the inquiry eventually extended past Steve Belichick and Lombardi into a broad examination of the workplace culture and conduct of staff in the football program.
Lombardi eventually resigned on September 3 while the investigation was still ongoing, just days after his lawyer released a statement calling the inquiry a ‘witch hunt.’ Steve took medical leave on August 6 and, on September 17, announced he would resign effective October 27 – when his leave was set to end.
While Bill Belichick has avoided personal sanction, university leadership made it clear that his standing in Chapel Hill is under intense scrutiny.
‘Coach Belichick continues to have our support, the support of the administration and of the board [of trustees],’ Roberts said in late September, via NBC Sports.
‘He understands that that support comes with expectations around conduct and behavior. Nobody understands that better than coach Belichick.’
