Report: Michael Lombardi's paid administrative leave resulted from complaint filed by former employee

Published July 27, 2026 10:28 AM The sudden announcement that North Carolina has placed UNC football G.M. Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave came with no details.Some details are beginning to emerge.Pete Thamel of ESPN reports that the move “stems from an human resources complaint filed by a former UNC front office employee.” Thamel adds that there is a “pending investigation, which led to the administrative leave.”The specifics of the complaint are not mentioned. Whatever they are, it was enough to get the school to place Lombardi on leave while the school explores the situation.Lombardi is in the second year of a three-year deal that pays a base rate of $1.5 million per year. The contract includes various grounds for a for-cause termination, including "[e]mployee’s material breach of this Agreement, University policies, or the UNC Code.”