“Spirit, not the letter of the law”

Here’s what the UNC System President had to say regarding accusations made against one of North Carolina’s flagship universities:

Athletics and academics are in tension by the nature of their time demands, but athletics and academics cannot be allowed to be in conflict in a great university. The evidence is clear that the academic processes and standards…have been misused in a number of instances to benefit some individual…players.

Problem is, these comments weren’t directed at a lack of academic and institutional oversight by the University of North Carolina or its coaching staffs. No, these were the comments made by former UNC System President C.D. Spangler regarding the investigation into academic impropriety within Jim Valvano’s basketball program, as reported by Duke grad and longtime area ACC sportswriter Barry Jacobs on August 26, 1989. More precisely, the quote is as follows:

Athletics and academics are in tension by the nature of their time demands, but athletics and academics cannot be allowed to be in conflict in a great university. The evidence is clear that the academic processes and standards of North Carolina State University have been misused in a number of instances to benefit some individual basketball players.

Spangler further added that the investigation revealed only that the “spirit, not the letter of the law” was broken regarding the accusations. Yet, he requested that Jim Valvano resign as State’s Athletic Director anyway. (We discuss more of Valvano and NC State’s ultimate exoneration in this editorial that cannot be missed and needs to be forwarded and sent all over the State of North Carolina):

Spangler’s report faulted Valvano for failure to provide adequate oversight of players’ academic progress and for encouraging course loads designed to maintain athletic eligibility rather than to form ”a coherent program of study.” Valvano was further criticized for recruiting players who had no reasonable expectation of graduation.

While the NCAA investigated NC State in 1989, the Poole Commission was formed and the Attorney General got the SBI involved to investigate potential financial infractions. Only minor infractions were found, namely the sale of shoes and game tickets by State basketball players, of which the coaching staff was found to have no knowledge. Yet, Jimmy V was vilified as evil incarnate for harboring an environment lacking oversight and control while the local media, the UNC Board of Governors, C.D. Spangler — and, unfortunately, many within the NC State community — spewed vitriol freely upon his name for it.

For the record, there were no implications of players cheating or improper assistance by any tutors at Jim Valvano’s NC State. There was no institutionalized cheating or academic fraud within the University. There was no grade-fixing. Players who did not deserve to matriculate or graduate were, in fact, not graduating and therefore not destroying the value of the diploma that so many hang so proudly. Nor were there accusations that agents were paying for players’ trips to Miami or California or funneling money through coaches to players.

And, most importantly, it seems that few folks recognize that every sanction leveled upon the State Basketball program was self-imposed by the University, and that the NCAA found this internal punishment satisfactory.

As I wrote on this blog in December 2008:

[T]he NCAA had been satisfied with the university’s internal corrective and punitive actions for the minor violations the Poole Commission had uncovered, which had included tighter restrictions over ticket and shoe distributions to players, limitations of off-campus recruiting visits, Valvano’s resignation as athletic director, and most crippling, a reduction in scholarships for three years. The NCAA also leveled the maximum two-year probation and barred State from participating in the 1990 NCAA Tournament…

One of the many questions that remains unanswered isn’t about the accusations, but rather the “review” itself. In 1989, the investigation was multi-faceted, including seperate inquiries by the NCAA, The Poole Commission, and also the Attorney General’s office into the University. So why is there no protocol for doing the same when accusations have been leveled against Carolina when, clearly, the precedent for this type of investigation exists?

State’s comparatively minor infractions and self-imposed sanctions left the program crippled, staggering along the ACC floor for a decade as it tried to recover.

Just imagine how bad it would’ve been if we’d done things “The Carolina Way.”

About LRM

Charter member of the Lunatic Fringe and a fan, loyal to a fault.

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56 Responses to “Spirit, not the letter of the law”

  1. packof81 09/09/2010 at 8:32 AM #

    ” … it almost starts to sound like the dirty program in Raleigh reveling in the troubles of the dirty program in Chapel Hill.”

    Except that the program in Raleigh was only slightly smudged, whereas the one in Chapel Hill is dripping with sewage.

  2. skitchwolf 09/09/2010 at 8:40 AM #

    As much as I would love to see a Poole-Commission-type investigation of this situation, I am somewhat leery of calling for one too loudly. The reason being that I believe the army of UNC alums in positions of power might announce a UNC-SYSTEM-WIDE investigation of athletic programs. One can easily envision this happening since it would serve two purposes: 1) It would give them “moral” and political coverage and; 2) it would serve to dilute the attention currently focused solely on UNC-CH. Even if it turned up only minor problems at the other schools (which it almost certainly would), it would still allow them to claim that it was a systemic problem and UNC was only one of many engaged in cheating. Again, I would love to see an independent commission come down hard on UNC-CH, but one must be careful what one wishes for.

  3. Conrad 09/09/2010 at 8:45 AM #

    Phang, I agree with you 100 % that the adminstration went overborad with V and the bbaII program aIso too. PIus they had no game beyond getting rid of V other than Robinson and Sendek. WhiIe the jury is stiII out on the Sidney. But dont get it twisted at aII because i am probabIy the biggest Sidney supporter among this group here. The pressure that he is feeIing right now is due to the 2 past coaches 16 yrs tenure with no ACC titIes with 3 striaght NCAA trips.

  4. Conrad 09/09/2010 at 8:58 AM #

    Peteavio, I hope that you knew that there was never a V and V moving company besides on the Cosby show ?

  5. Phang 09/09/2010 at 9:00 AM #

    I dunno, I’m a pretty bit Sidney supporter too. Great programs have continuity. Sid regains the continuity we lost after Jimmy V.

    Having Monte come back to help was real big, no only because of the continuity (’74 team), but that it gave Sid access to current NCAA head coaching experience as well.

    I’m pumped about BB (and FB) season this year!

  6. ADVENTUROO 09/09/2010 at 10:03 AM #

    Has anyone read the N&O OPINION Editorial this morning? Gotta give (that was painful to type) the N&O some credit here….

    First, yesterday’s headlines. NO WHERE in the article did they say HOW they found out that Blake’s phone had a speed dial number for Wichard….it was only LATE last night that came up on the comments….NO ANSWER.

    Second, their timing for yesterdays’s headlines and the Board of Governors meeting was a masterpiece. Chairperson Hach’s remarks (thanks SFN) was just the icing on yesterday’s cupcakes.

    Third, this morning’s editorial and the “Weak Answer” from Chancellor Thorp was a shot over the bow of HMRS Davis. The folks who could not bring themselves to read the headlines yesterday were heartened this morning. Then, turning to the Editorial Page for their “Daily Praise Obama Talking Points” were aghast that they found a RAM (er, mighty institution) being roasted on a the N&O’s grill.

    SO, this is really getting good. Sit back….Relax…..

    I remember a lesson that I learned as a Boy Scout and a Troop leader, do not “mess” with a well planned and structured fire. Give it time and let nature run it’s course. If you ever listened to a Fire Safety Lecture, we have all three elements

    IGNITION (FIRE) All the BLAKE stuff.

    FUEL (GAS) NCAA & N&O & maybe BOG

    AIR (Oxygen) All the HOT AIR coming from the UNX Crowd about being Persecutid by the NCAA or why the NCAA should be investigatn’ the SEC

    So, it is playing out well….don’t provide diversion….let the fire blaze…..it will be a beautiful thing once it gets started.

    Here is the N&O link….

    http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/09/09/671229/big-time-perils.html?mi_pluck_action=comment_submitted&qwxq=599343&tab=story_tab_comments

    GO PACK

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