Steve Belichick confidant suspended by North Carolina Tar Heels for breaking rules for his family

Steve Belichick confidant suspended by North Carolina Tar Heels for breaking rules for his family originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“Chapel Bill” is a family-first operation. Perhaps to the detriment of the North Carolina Tar Heels football program in every way imaginable.

Bill Belichick’s arrival as head coach has provided in-bounds nepotism, like Steve Belichick’s hiring as defensive coordinator, and now out-of-bounds nepotism that UNC’s brain trust won’t tolerate.

As The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman reported on Tuesday night, Tar Heels CB coach Armond Hawkins, someone Steve worked with on Jedd Fisch’s Washington Huskies coaching staff last year, was suspended for allowing his family to roam the sidelines when not approved to do so by administrators.

“North Carolina cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins was suspended, a university source said Tuesday. The first-year Tar Heels assistant’s suspension is related to extra benefits allegations that came to light in a report about the dysfunction within Bill Belichick’s UNC program by WRAL,” Feldman wrote.

“The alleged extra benefits — which are in violation of NCAA rules — involved providing a player’s family members sideline passes for a game, according to the source.

“Hawkins was a former recruiting analyst and secondary coach at the University of Washington, where he worked with Belichick’s son, UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, in 2024.”

Bill is guilty of the same thing. Jordan Hudson, his controversial girlfriend of several years, roams the sidelines and allegedly has a hand in the team’s PR. That’s led to a strange CBS interview infamously being cut short and even a Hulu documentary on UNC’s 2025 season being cancelled.

Hawkins’ infraction may not have been an issue if the culture wasn’t so toxic in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the team wasn’t an embarrassment on the field. Losses to the Clemson Tigers, UCF Knights, and TCU Horned Frogs haven’t been competitive, and the Tar Heels have a roster some feel isn’t FBS-caliber. The secondary, in particular, has been a weak spot.

We’ll see if Belichick can get things back on the rails. He and GM Mike Lombardi may not know how to construct a college football roster in the age of NIL.