North Carolina general manager Michael Lombardi has resigned from his role, the school announced on Thursday. Lombardi was put on paid administrative leave on July 27.
According to ESPN, the leave stemmed from a "human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee." An active investigation into Lombardi remains, and the university confirmed it would continue despite his departure.
"The University will continue its ongoing investigation and will consider all appropriate corrective actions responsive to the information it learns," North Carolina said in a statement.
Lombardi was a central figure in Bill Belichick's tenure at North Carolina after a lengthy career in the NFL. He ranked as the highest-paid general manager in college football at more than $1.5 million. After a lackluster 4-8 campaign, the Tar Heels signed the No. 19 high school recruiting class in the nation and upset TCU 15-10 in Week 0.
"I want to thank Chancellor Roberts and Bill Belichick for the opportunity to serve as the GM of UNC Football. I have decided it's best for me to resign my position as GM to allow the team to focus on the '26 season," Lombardi said in a statement.
Lombardi's lawyer, Tom Mars, told WRAL on July 31 that Lombardi had not been told what he was being investigated for at that time.
"[Lombardi] welcomes the opportunity to clear his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo on social media," Mars said. "Michael would ask that people ahve the decency to let the process run its course before jumping to any conclusions about the nature of the investigation or whether there's any merit to whatever has been alleged."
North Carolina hosts ETSU in its season opener on Sept. 12.
