Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that University of North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi went to Saudi Arabia to seek an investment from the country’s Public Investment Fund. The university said Thursday night that Lombardi met with a Saudi national about general fundraising for the team. The story has been corrected.
Two weeks before Bill Belichick’s much-anticipated debut as North Carolina’s head football coach, the program’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, traveled to Saudi Arabia on behalf of Tar Heels football.
According to UNC vice chancellor for communications Dean Stoyer, Lombardi’s visit was “an exploratory fundraising trip” that the university knew about before Lombardi traveled.
Earlier Thursday, a UNC football official, speaking on condition of anonymity, provided The Athletic with a statement confirming Lombardi’s visit, which said he “went to Saudi Arabia to meet with high-ranking government officials to discuss potential partnership opportunities.”
“The Saudis love UNC because of Coach Belichick and Michael Jordan,” the statement added.
Executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark declined to provide The Athletic details about the person Lombardi met with. Later Thursday, UNC characterized the individual as a “college football fan” interested in “supporting Coach Belichick” in a statement to The News & Observer, which a reporter shared on X.
Although details about Lombardi’s visit are not fully clear, it did not result in any agreement or support of Belichick’s program, according to the university. It is unclear whether any follow-up meetings or conversations took place. Neither UNC athletics nor university funds were used to pay for the trip, according to Stoyer, who said “the Saudis” paid to host the trip.
Lombardi declined to comment.
Lombardi’s trip was first hinted at by Pablo Torre, host of the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” on the social media platform X Thursday afternoon. The show is part of The Athletic’s podcast network.
This is not the first time in recent years that North Carolina has explored alternative revenue streams to subsidize its athletic department. According to public records obtained by The Athletic, athletic director Bubba Cunningham had several meetings in 2023 with private equity firms “regarding all things college athletics, revenue generation, and conference realignment,” according to one email thread. Cunningham and UNC ultimately opted not to move forward with any such negotiations after preliminary discussions.
Saudi Arabia has become one of the most powerful players in the global sports market in recent years, mainly through its Public Investment Fund (PIF), which the country has used to expand its foothold in entertainment industries and sports like the LIV Golf tour.
Crossing into college football, in late September, the video game company Electronic Arts (EA) announced the PIF and two other investors had agreed to a $55 billion purchase of the company. EA, the parent company of EA Sports, recently brought back its popular college football video game in 2024 after an 11-year absence. It quickly became the best-selling sports video game in U.S. history. The Athletic has a commercial partnership with EA Sports.
Lombardi, who was hired by Belichick last December to piece together the UNC roster, has been criticized for his talent evaluations and roster-building tactics since arriving in Chapel Hill. In a story published by The Athletic earlier this month, agents of players spoke about his inability to properly rate the type of talent needed for Belichick to build a winner in his first season.
The 73-year-old Belichick won six Super Bowls during his 24 seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots, yet his move to UNC and the world of college football was a surprise. Lombardi, who has served in front office capacities for several NFL teams over his career, said the Tar Heels would be the NFL’s “33rd team” with the NFL’s most accomplished coach leading the way.
So far, UNC football has struggled mightily under Belichick. The Tar Heels are 2-3 and are coming off back-to-back blowout losses to UCF (34-9) and Clemson (38-10). After a second early bye week, UNC plays Friday night at California.
Lombardi’s trip isn’t the first time a college football staffer has ventured to the Middle East on a fundraising trip. Last year, former Colorado assistant coach Trevor Reilly detailed to The Athletic his individually-funded trip to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Dubai in attempts to see if the PIF and various other offices of tourism would be interested in investing with the Buffaloes.
— The Athletic’s Dianna Russini contributed to this report.
