North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi has retained attorney Tom Mars and is “ready to clear his name” after being placed on leave earlier this week, according to a statement Mars shared with The Athletic.
Lombardi, a longtime confidant of coach Bill Belichick, was placed on paid administrative leave Monday with the school declining to comment further. Three people briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly previously told The Athletic that the leave was connected to a human resources complaint.
“Michael hasn’t been told anything about the nature of UNC’s investigation and welcomes the opportunity to clear his name, which has already been sullied by baseless statements and innuendo on social media,” Mars’ statement read.
“He is fully cooperating with UNC and expects the investigation will be swift, thorough, and fair. Michael would ask that people have 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.”
In addition to the HR complaint, the College Sports Commission also contacted UNC football about a potential investigation, two people briefed on the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Athletic, with Lombardi’s actions believed to be of interest. The CSC serves as the enforcement arm for potential name, image, and likeness violations and is also responsible for approving third-party deals for athletes.
Lombardi declined to comment when initially contacted by The Athletic.
“As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and this has no reflection on the merits,” UNC said in its statement from Monday.
Mars has represented multiple figures in high-profile college cases in recent years. Most notably, he represented Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in his quest to receive an additional year of eligibility, which resulted in Chambliss receiving a preliminary injunction against the NCAA that will allow him to play for the Rebels in 2026.
Lombardi has been a prominent figure at UNC since being hired by Belichick, the legendary former New England Patriots coach, in 2025. A former NFL executive with three decades of experience, Lombardi declared UNC “the 33rd NFL team” during his introductory news conference because “everybody who’s involved with our program has had some form or aspect in pro football.”
UNC went 4-8 in 2025, the first season of Belichick and Lombardi’s tenure.
Ralph D. Russo and Brendan Marks contributed to this story.
