NFL Combine 2014: Patriots Officially Announce Michael Lombardi Joining the Team

When it was reported earlier today that Michael Lombardi was seen traveling with the New England Patriots to the NFL Combine, I guess they felt the cat was out of the bag. The Patriots officially announced today that Lombardi will be joining the club under the title, "assistant to the coaching staff."

Bill Belichick spoke at the NFL Combine shortly after the team released a statement on Lombardi's hiring. To the surprise of no one, Belichick didn't really embrace the thought of elaborating more on Lombardi's role:

(What exactly will Michael Lombardi be doing for you?): "Mike’s got a lot of experience. He’s done a lot of things in his career in the NFL. I’m sure he’ll be doing many of those things for us. We’ll see how it goes."

(What exactly is his title going to be?): "We announced that today."

(How come you didn't hire Lombardi during those five years he wasn't with any team?): "We always do what we think is best for our football team."

Meanwhile, Michael's son, Matt Lombardi, is still an entry-level assistant in the personnel department for the Browns, according to Tony Grossi.