A new UNC Belichick lawsuit filed by a former provost accuses the university’s board of trustees of violating open meetings law by hiring the football coach in a secret December session.
Chris Clemens, a former UNC provost, and lawyer David McKenzie filed the lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court. The Chris Clemens lawsuit against UNC claims the university has a “pattern and practice” of concealing matters of public concern.
Details Emerge in UNC Belichick Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that on Dec. 12, 2024, the board held a 41-minute emergency closed session where “substantive deliberation occurred in secret” to hire Belichick. This session also included the hiring of women’s soccer coach Damon Nahas.
The suit argues the closed session was unnecessary because Belichick’s “$10 million per season” compensation package and “entire hiring was already public.” This Bill Belichick UNC closed-door hiring also brought his sons, Steve and Brian Belichick, onto the coaching staff.
UNC Board of Trustees Open Meetings Law Violation
The filing accuses the board of a “pattern and practice” to conceal “matters of grave public concern behind closed doors.” It cites alleged illegal closed sessions in November 2023 and May 2024 used to discuss UNC conference realignment secrecy.
According to the lawsuit, “The Board again used closed session to debate conference realignment strategy and athletics department finances.” The suit claims these sessions explored “potential financial outcomes with SEC or Big Ten membership,” for which there is “no statutory exemption.“
Former Provost Alleges Retaliation
Clemens alleges he was punished for “leaking” information after he briefed deans internally about the board’s tenure policy following a closed session. The lawsuit states this was done “so they could manage faculty expectations.“
The lawsuit claims the “effort to punish him for ‘leaking’ closed-session information only highlights the culture of secrecy at odds with the Open Meetings Law and Public Records Law.“
Previous Legal Action Against UNC Board
This is not the first legal challenge from McKenzie, who previously won a lawsuit against the university. That case resulted in a temporary restraining order on May 16, 2024, preventing the board from discussing athletics finances and conference realignment in closed sessions.
UNC settled that previous lawsuit with McKenzie for $25,000 in July 2024. The current lawsuit continues to allege a UNC board of trustees open meetings law violation.
