North Carolina assistant Armond Hawkins on leave as school looks into 'other potential actions'

North Carolina cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins will remain on leave as the athletic department “further investigates other potential actions detrimental to the team and university.”

The school confirmed Hawkins’ suspension Thursday after the Athletic reported earlier in the week that Hawkins had been sidelined for allegedly providing sideline passes to a player’s family. The NCAA violation had been referred to in a WRAL story published Monday about issues in and around the UNC program in Bill Belichick’s first year.

Hawkins came to North Carolina after Belichick was hired as the team’s coach in December. He worked as a defensive analyst at Washington in 2024. Belichick’s son Steve, the Tar Heels’ defensive coordinator, was the defensive coordinator at Washington last season.

Before he worked at Washington, Hawkins had spent time at Arizona, Colorado and USC.

UNC’s announcement of Hawkins’ suspension came a day after the school issued statements from Belichick and athletic director Bubba Cunningham. Belichick said he was “fully committed” at UNC, while Cunningham gave Belichick a vote of confidence.

The Tar Heels have started the 2025 season 2-3 and have lost all three of their games to power conference opponents by a combined 87 points.