UNC sued over closed-door meetings pattern tied to Bill Belichick hire
Lawsuit alleges secrecy at UNC board of trustees, citing Belichick hiring and conference realignment talks as examples
A lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court accuses the University of North Carolina and its board of trustees of illegally hiring head football coach Bill Belichick in a December closed session, part of a broader pattern of secret meetings at the public university.
The suit names former UNC provost Chris Clemens and attorney David McKenzie as plaintiffs. It contends there is a pattern and practice at UNC of concealing matters of grave public concern behind closed sessions and points to examples that include potential conference realignment and other athletics decisions. The complaint says Belichick’s hiring occurred during an emergency board meeting on December 12, 2024, with substantive deliberations conducted in private even though Belichick’s compensation package and the details of his hiring had already been made public. It argues there was no need for a closed session and that the board did not present a long-run cost analysis or use fiscal restraint for this hire.
The suit points to a pattern of closed sessions in other matters, including a November 2023 session to discuss UNC’s ACC alignment and a May 2024 session on conference realignment. It argues that those topics were discussed in closed sessions to examine financial outcomes of potential membership changes, and that there is no statutory exemption allowing such discussions about institutional affiliations and budget planning.
The complaint describes a consistent pattern: the board invokes a statutory exemption, enters closed session, and then debates broad policy or budget matters whose public discussion is required. It also says the board has maintained inadequate general accounts, hindering public understanding of what transpired.
McKenzie has a history with UNC litigation, having prevailed in a May 2024 suit tied to the conference realignment session. A temporary restraining order was granted on May 16, 2024, stopping the board from going into closed session to discuss UNC Athletics’ financials, budgeting, deficits or ongoing future conference realignment and related strategic planning. UNC later settled with McKenzie in July 2024 for 25,000.
Belichick’s hire included a closed session lasting 41 minutes that led to his hiring and the addition of women’s soccer coach Damon Nahas to UNC’s staff. The move surprised college football observers, given Belichick’s nontraditional path to college coaching. The contract placed Belichick on a 10 million per-season salary with additional compensation tied to bringing his two sons onto the staff; the suit notes the total exposure on the arrangement could reach tens of millions over the five-year term.
Belichick’s college coaching debut has shown mixed results, with a two and two record through his first four games.