CHAPEL HILL — UNC football coach Bill Belichick says he “was aware” of general manager Michael Lombardi’s trip to Saudi Arabia and it was “no secret” for the Tar Heels .

“I was aware of it and it was talked about, and the university released their statement on it,” Belichick said on Oct. 21 during his weekly press conference inside the Kenan Football Center.

“There’s no secret.”

On Oct. 16, a UNC spokesperson said Lombardi “did make a preseason exploratory fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia.” The visit was “at the invite of the hosts and funded by the hosts.”

Pablo Torre, the host of the “Pablo Finds Out” podcast, first reported in a social media post that Lombardi left the program for Saudi Arabia in August, “two weeks before the season-opener” against TCU.

Asked by a reporter abou

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