Lawsuit alleges UNC illegally hired Bill Belichick behind closed doors

A new lawsuit filed Monday alleges the University of North Carolina and its board of trustees illegally hired football coach Bill Belichick behind closed doors and shielded discussions about potential conference realignment from public view. The suit, brought by former UNC administrator Chris Clemens and attorney David McKenzie, contends a pattern and practice of using closed sessions to debate policy matters that should be public, a practice the plaintiffs describe as a risk to public accountability.

The complaint outlines three episodes tied to the UNC athletic department in which the board allegedly relied on exemptions to convene in private. It says an emergency meeting on December 24, 2024 approved Belichick’s hiring in a closed session, despite the claim that the compensation package and hiring decision were already public information. It also cites a November 2023 closed-door discussion about UNC’s ACC commitment and a comparison of potential financial outcomes if the Tar Heels had joined the SEC or the Big Ten. A May 2024 closed session reportedly revisited conference realignment strategy and athletics department finances. The suit characterizes these episodes as part of a broader pattern where the board, invoking a statutory exemption, entered closed sessions to discuss broad policy or budget matters that should have been deliberated openly. It further alleges inadequate record-keeping that impedes public understanding of what transpired during those sessions.

UNC board of trustees chairman Malcolm Turner has vehemently denied the allegations, telling Front Office Sports that Clemens’ claims are “disappointing and inaccurate, not to mention a waste of taxpayer dollars, for which this former officer of the University shows no regard.” The university has not publicly commented on the specifics of the lawsuit beyond that denial.

The suit also notes Belichick’s tenure with UNC as a head coach produced a 2-2 record and that the team had not yet played an Atlantic Coast Conference game at the time referenced in the filing. The document frames the hire as a decision made during private session while presenting a public-facing profile of the hiring process that the plaintiffs describe as misused and opaque.

The filing comes amid questions about governance and transparency at public universities, with Clemens and McKenzie pursuing remedies through legal channels. UNC officials have not indicated any immediate changes in leadership or policy in response to the suit, and there is no public timetable for litigation. Belichick’s representation did not provide a comment by publication.