UNC System president wants sign off for future hires after Bill Belichick negotiations

The head of North Carolina's public colleges issued a rebuke of the trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill and suspended some of their authority over athletics, saying their "independent and unilateral actions continue to create substantial legal risk to the University."

The letter, dated Jan. 16, was sent to John Preyer, the chairman of the UNC-CH Board of Trustees and Lee Roberts, UNC's chancellor.

In the letter, Hans said "instances continue to occur where members of the board appear to act independently of their campus's administration in matter squarely within the responsibility of the chancellor."

It came after the school fired football coach Mack Brown and hired NFL coaching legend Bill Belichick to be its next football coach, a search that Preyer played a significant role in.

Preyer, too, was critical of how the athletic department handled the firing of Brown. Belichick, who has never coached in college, signed a five-year, $50-million contract with UNC.

A senior official at UNC told WRAL during the process that it had been prolonged by the actions of some members of the Board of Trustees, which has caused confusion in the search process.

"President Hans took this action as a matter of good governance," the UNC System said in a statement. "He will not reference specific individuals or incidents and hopes to restore the delegated authority in the near future."

In Hans' letter, he wrote that the trustees' actions are "jeopardizing the North Carolina taxpayers' money by blurring the lines of actual and apparent authority when these athletic departments negotiate business transactions with third parties, including but not limited to current, former, and future athletic employees."

The board has been at odds with athletic director Bubba Cunningham, making publicly critical remarks about his handling of the department during a budget committee meeting in May. Roberts defended Cunningham days later at a full board meeting.

Hans said that every hiring or salary adjustment at UNC, outside of administrative assistants, must be approved in writing by himself or his designee. The board nor its individual members is to play any role in the negotiations, review or approval.

Prior to submitting a proposed contract or amendment to the board for approval, the chancellor must submit them to the president and receive written approval.

And any budget expenditure for more than $29,000 "entertained" by the athletic department must be approved in advance in writing by the president or his designee. The board is not to play any role in that.

Hans further wrote that, as a reminder, that "no individual member of the board has the actual or apparent authority to act in the name of his or her respective campus."

Hans said the board is "encouraged" to focus on oversight, providing advice to the chancellor, capital planning and operational improvements "while keeing cost of attendance at UNC-Chapel Hill as low as practicable."

Roberts declined comment through a university spokesman. Preyer declined comment to WRAL.

The UNC System oversees all of North Carolina's public universities. The Assembly first reported on the memo.

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