Belichick says suspended North Carolina assistant coach is back working with Tar Heels

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins has been reinstated and returned to work ahead of Saturday’s visit from No. 16 Virginia.

The school announced Oct. 9 that it had suspended Hawkins for “violating NCAA rules” tied to improper benefits. UNC’s statement didn’t specify a length of the suspension and said he would remain on leave while the school “further investigates other potential actions detrimental” to the team and school.

“Yeah, he’s back,” Belichick said Monday at his weekly news conference. “The university cleared him, they went through their process with him and he’s back, yes.”

The suspension came after a bumpy first month to the 73-year-old Belichick’s first college season after leading the NFL’s New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, from ugly showings on the field and concerns off it.

Asked about whether the program was doing enough to emphasize NCAA rule compliance, Belichick pointed to staffers going through courses in a range of areas such as recruiting and time management with weekly hours limits for practices.

“I would say if anything, I feel like maybe we’ve spent too much time on it, to be honest with you,” Belichick said with a chuckle. “I mean, we’ve gone over and over and over it to make sure that we have it right. And every time we check it, ‘Hey, I just want to triple-check and make sure we’re OK on this? Yes, yes.’

“Right now we’re still making sure that we’re trying to do every single thing right. I think that’s the right thing to do.”

Off-field hiccups

Hawkins’ suspension was among several off-field concerns or hiccups to emerge in Belichick’s first month, from Belichick acknowledging he had banned Patriots scouts from program facilities to a report of behind-the-scenes turmoil from WRAL-TV of Raleigh in early October.

That soon gave way to broader speculation about Belichick’s future, down to Belichick and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham having to issue terse nighttime statements reaffirming the marriage between the two sides. By the start of last week, Belichick was dismissing speculation of him seeking an exit strategy from UNC — which is paying Belichick $10 million guaranteed in base and supplemental pay for three seasons in a five-year deal — as “categorically false.”

Additionally, a program-touted announcement from Belichick to the team of a planned TV show from streaming service Hulu on the season is now no longer in development, though it’s unclear if it might go forward in any other manner. Film crews had attended Belichick’s news conferences and elsewhere to start the season but hadn’t been spotted in recent weeks.

The university released a copy of its contract with EverWonder Studio LLC on Monday in response to a public-records request from The Associated Press and other outlets. The deal, effective Aug. 11, required EverWonder to pay the school $250,000, along with additional fees for university-provided services, while granting film crews access to the Kenan Football Center and other campus buildings.

The terms also included Belichick being allowed to shut down the project, though he said Monday: “It’s paused, it’s not terminated.”

Saudi Arabia trip

Additionally last week, a tweet from the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast reported program general manager Michael Lombardi had traveled in August to Saudi Arabia for what was described as a fundraising trip.

School spokesman Dean Stoyer later released a statement confirming Lombardi traveled there “at the request of a Saudi national who is a college football fan, interested in supporting Coach Belichick.”

Belichick declined to elaborate much beyond that statement Monday, other than saying he is “familiar” with the person who requested the visit.

“I was aware of it,” Belichick said of Lombardi’s trip. “And it was talked about, and the university released their statement on it. There’s no secret.”

On-field struggles

North Carolina hired Belichick as part of an all-in bet to elevate its football program beyond decades of also-ran status as a school better known for its storied men’s basketball program.

The early on-field returns on the investment have been poor.

The Tar Heels (2-4) are coming off Friday’s 21-18 loss at California, with the Tar Heels losing a fumble at the goal line while going in for a late go-ahead score.

That marked their first close call in a game against a power-conference opponent this year, coming after UNC lost the first three to TCU, UCF and Clemson by a combined score of 120-33. The TCU and Clemson losses stood out in particular with the Tar Heels playing much of the second halves in a largely empty home stadium, with UNC fans having long since fled for the exits amid amid blowout losses.

It would cost UNC more than $30 million to buy out the contracts for Belichick, Lombardi — who has a three-year deal paying $1.5 million per year — and staffers if UNC made a coaching change this year.

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