UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi “did make a preseason exploratory fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia,” a university spokesperson confirmed to The Fayetteville Observer on Oct. 16.

The visit was “at the invite of the hosts and funded by the hosts.” Other UNC officials didn’t immediately respond to further questions about the nature of the trip or whether it was authorized by the university.

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

Hired in December to join coach Bill Belichick, Lombardi has a three-year contract worth $1.5 million annually, making him the highest-paid general manager in college fo

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