Bill Belichick buyout options: What UNC football coach’s contract says

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is not looking into a possible exit strategy for football coach Bill Belichick, two high-level sources with the university told WRAL News on Thursday.

While Belichick says he’s ‘fully committed’ to UNC and the university has backed him, WRAL has reported on the football program’s divided locker room.

WRAL looked at the specifics of Belichick’s contract to examine the university’s options.

Bill Belichick can buy out his UNC contract for $1 million

Belichick can terminate his deal with UNC if he pays the university a buyout of $1 million.

It would have cost Belichick $10 million if he left UNC before June 1, 2025.

UNC would owe Bill Belichick $30 million total if he’s fired without cause

The first three years of Belichick’s five-year, $50 million contract are guaranteed.

If UNC decided to fire Belichick without cause, the university would owe him everything he was set to earn up until Dec. 31, 2027. Since Belichick’s contract shows he makes $10 million annually, his guaranteed payment is three years for $30 million.

Other buyouts UNC would need to pay

Belichick’s buyout figure doesn’t represent buyouts for general manager Mike Lombardi or the UNC coaching staff. Lombardi signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract in July.

What it means if UNC fired Bill Belichick for cause

Durham-based civil lawyer J. Andrew Fine has a background in athlete-related cases. He spoke with WRAL News on the legal complexities of firing a high-profile coach.

“If they do fire him for cause, they would need to show that he committed some sort of egregious act or that he was engaged in behavior that constituted some sort of lack of institutional control,” Fine said. “So, the lack of institutional control part is what I think people have been talking about because there are no other grounds currently to fire him for cause under that contract.”

Fine said firing Belichick for cause is the only way the university could fire Belichick and not pay him $30 million, unless the two sides reached a settlement.

What does ‘lack of institutional control’ mean?

WRAL News asked Fine about what the lack of institutional control means.

“Lack of institutional control is this sort of moving target that … has been the been the basis for NCAA violations and penalties in the past,” Fine said. “When the NCAA determines that a school is doing something that it shouldn't be doing under the rules, the school will then be accused of a lack of institutional control.

“And, that gives way for the NCAA to institute major penalties against a school like fines, a loss of bowl games, loss of scholarships [and] things like that.”

It has been 10 years since the NCAA found a lack of institutional control in the UNC football program. In 2015, the NCAA found that UNC directed student-athletes to certain courses within the Department of African and African-American Studies, arranged assignments for those student-athletes and recommended grades for them.

In response, the university admitted to those allegations, but said the NCAA did not have the authority to issue a penalty for them.

Fine said in many cases, a lack of institutional control is made up of lesser violations. He mentioned recruiting violations or situations where players received impermissible benefits.

“In the past, it's typically been something that the NCAA will raise as opposed to a school raising it as a way to get out of a contract,” Fine said.

Fine added, “In Bill Belichick’s contract, there's a provision where they can fire him for cause if there's a lack of institutional control, and it's unclear whether that means a finding of a lack of institutional control by the NCAA or if the school could simply allege that there has been a lack of institutional control because of things that are going on around the football program.”

UNC cornerbacks coach suspended

WRAL Sports’ reporting led UNC to act and have discussions. It includes the decision to suspend Belichick's cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins for an allegation of improperly distributing sideline passes for the Oct. 4 game against Clemson.

On Thursday, Carolina Athletics released a statement about Hawkins' suspension.

“North Carolina assistant football coach Armond Hawkins has been suspended for violating NCAA rules related to extra benefits,” the statement reads. “He will remain on leave as the Department of Athletics further investigates other potential actions detrimental to the team and university.”

Sources said Hawkins was not at practice this week and that players were told it was due to quote "personal business."

WRAL Sports reached out to Armond Hawkins on Thursday. While he’s not commenting on the suspension.

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