North Carolina is currently practicing without defensive coordinator Steve Belichick.

Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick said Thursday that his son was away from the team on medical leave. No official timetable was provided for Steve Belichick’s return, but Bill said Steve would be back as soon as possible.

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The Belichicks are entering their second season together at North Carolina. The Tar Heels were 4-8 in 2025 and went 2-6 in ACC play. The UNC defense gave up fewer than five yards per play and 24.5 points per game.

Before joining his dad’s staff at North Carolina, Steve Belichick was the defensive coordinator at Washington in 2024. That was his first season in charge of a defense at the college level after working as an assistant for the New England Patriots on his father’s coaching staff.

Steve Belichick served as New England’s defensive coordinator for the final four years of Bill’s tenure with the team and was a defensive assistant with the franchise since 2012.

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General manager Michael Lombardi is also away from the program after he was put on paid leave following an internal investigation. Lombardi’s absence comes after a UNC employee filed an HR complaint. Lombardi has worked with Bill Belichick off-and-on for nearly four decades.