North Carolina assistant Armond Hawkins suspended as drama continues for Bill Belichick's program

North Carolina suspended cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins amid allegations that the program awarded impermissible benefits to players, the university confirmed on Thursday.

"North Carolina assistant coach Armond Hawkins has been suspended for violating NCAA rules related to extra benefits," North Carolina said in a statement, via The Athletic. "He will remain on leave as the Department of Athletics further investigates other potential actions detrimental to the team and University."

Among the alleged extra benefits, according to The Athletic, were sideline passes given to a player's family members in violation of NCAA rules. Hawkins' suspension is the latest bit of turmoil inside the UNC program, which has been much maligned throughout a 2-3 start to the Bill Belichick era.

Hawkins joined the Tar Heels staff ahead of the season by way of Washington, where he worked as a defensive analyst under UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, Bill's son. He is in his first season as a position coach after holding recruiting positions and analyst roles at Washington, Arizona, Colorado and USC.

The North Carolina defense is off to a rough start, particularly through the air. The Tar Heels are allowing 246.2 passing yards per game, which gives UNC the No. 102 pass defense in the country. In three games against opponents from power conferences, North Carolina has been outscored 120-33.

Documentary centered around North Carolina football and Bill Belichick reportedly axed

Jordan Dajani

North Carolina under scrutiny on and off the field

In addition to their 2-3 start and last week's blowout loss to Clemson in the ACC opener, the Tar Heels have been under the microscope for a number of off-field reasons. This week alone, Belichick's program raised eyebrows with two separate decisions.

North Carolina's social media department had been directed to avoid posting anything related to the New England Patriots in the wake of Belichick's breakup with his longtime former team. That in-house rule came to light this week when the Tar Heels were initially silent after their former star quarterback, Drake Maye, led the Patriots to an upset win over the Buffalo Bills on "Sunday Night Football."

On Tuesday, North Carolina and Hulu reportedly scrapped their plans to produce an in-season documentary on the Tar Heels program. Belichick announced in the summer that cameras would follow his team around to document the season, but the school and Hulu are no longer working on the project. That decision came after UNC's arrangement in the spring with "Hard Knocks" fell through.