The Bill Belichick nightmare is almost over.
With Mike Lombardi’s resignation, the continuing investigations into the former general manager and other members of the UNC football staff, plus WRAL’s exhaustive reporting, Carolina has no choice but to relieve Belichick of his duties likely this week. The 2023 NCAA rules state — without a doubt — that the head coach is responsible for serious accusations and, more importantly, the damage it can cause to a school like UNC.
The NCAA has a new specific head coach responsibility rule and it says they are responsible for assistant coaches breaking rules even when the head coach does not personally commit the underlying violation. Even if Belichick plays dumb like he did with the Patriots in the NFL, that is no excuse in college football.
And if 10 percent of what WRAL’s reporting is true, it could cost Carolina a lot of money.
The current NCAA rule around Responsibility for Violations for head coaches is bylaw 11.1.1.1. It says the head coach is responsible for the actions of institutional staff members who report directly or indirectly to the head coach.
The head coach also must:
Promote an atmosphere of compliance within the program. Monitor the compliance activities of assistants and other staff.This does not necessarily mean that every mistake by an assistant automatically results in the head coach being punished. Did the head coach establish clear expectations that the staff will follow NCAA rules? Did the head coach establish and communicate the rules to his or her staff? Did the coach respond to warning signs or “red flags”? Did the coach report potential violations to compliance? Did the coach cooperate when a problem was discovered?
Beginning Jan. 1, 2023, the rule changed from a rebuttal of presumption to language saying that the coach shall be “responsible for the actions of staff members reporting to the coach.” That makes the current rule considerably tougher on head coaches than the older version. If an assistant coach knowingly commits a recruiting violation, the head coach doesn’t necessarily rescue responsibilities simply by saying: “I didn’t know my assistant was doing it.”
However, the severity of the head coach’s punishment depends heavily on the circumstances. A head coach who establishes strong compliance procedures, monitors staff, asks questions, responds to reg flags and promptly reports a violation will be in a much different position from a coach who ignores warning signs or allows a culture of noncompliance.
This is where the Carolina situation and college sports’ enforcement is even more flagrant than NFL rules. In the pros, the league office decides on suspensions and fines but owners determine whether a coach gets fired. And if you’ve won 6 Super Bowls, you get a lot more slack than the college rules allow.
And UNC, which has been rocked by scandals before, is more interested in doing it the right way than winning championships the wrong way — especially if you haven’t won an ACC title in 46 years.
In Belichick’s case, he brought Lombardi on as the highest-paid general manager in college football and hired his son as defensive coordinator. That may cut it at some SEC schools but not at my alma mater. And the administrators – from deposed chair of the Board of Trustees John Preyer to Chancellor Lee Roberts, to athletic directors Bubba Cunningham and Steve Newmark, who were all part of the search committee and endorsed the Belichick hire – should be more anxious to save their own keisters than anything.
Many facts must be revealed. Bill Belichick, Steve Belichick, Lombardi and all others involved can deny allegations, and maybe receive buyouts in the process. But Carolina doing the right thing is far more important than whether they are guilty or innocent. That means UNC may have to pull out their wallets, but saving what’s left of their reputation is more important than anything at this point.
Getting rid of Belichick and naming offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino interim coach will give Roberts, Newmark and the trustees time to move in a new direction and make plans for the 2027 season. Carolina should have known better and is going to pay the price — but the faster they can move on to another coach, the better it will be.
Look for that press conference to be held this week before the next game against East Tennessee State on September 12.
Featured image via Associated Press/Peter Morrison
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro during football and basketball seasons.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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