Baddour responds to Daily Tarheel calling for Butch’s job(9:02 am)

Updated 9:02 am:

I am not sure how many times it has been said about the scandal in Chapel Hill, but you just can’t make this stuff up. You just can’t.

TO THE EDITOR:

As Director of Athletics, I hired Butch Davis to lead our football program because he was an outstanding coach who shared the core values that we try to uphold at the University of North Carolina. Those include academic excellence, integrity and fair play. He taught those values as head coach at the University of Miami and key administrators at that school saluted him for raising the standards and positively changing the culture within their program.

We are currently faced with several issues, which we deeply regret. Monday’s editorial (“Davis should go,” Oct. 4) stated that Coach Davis should have or could have known of alleged misconduct, but there is no information that says he knew and I believe that to be the case.

Butch Davis deeply regrets what has happened and has accepted responsibility for the circumstances we are dealing with. He also regrets not knowing and is changing his management practices to help him become better aware of what is happening in and around the program. He understands that regardless of his knowledge or approval, players and coaches are operating under his watch as the head coach.

He, like all of us in the athletic department, is committed to finding long-term solutions so we can move our program forward in a way that can make everyone who loves this University proud. Winning games is important, but representing the University of North Carolina in a first-class manner is unquestionably greater. Coach Davis wants to be part of those solutions and I feel strongly that he will do that as our football coach.

Dick Baddour
Director of athletics

Nightly update(from Monday night):

A  lot of news broke today on the scandal — and it has already been effectively covered by the SFN author team.  So tonight I am cleaning up some items that have gone under the radar but should not be missed.  Specifically, some of the public calls for Butch’s firing or resignation.

I have mentioned the Daily Tar Heel’s excellent coverage of this scandal before.  Yesterday, they published an excellent editorial calling for Davis’ removal.  A representative passage:

There’s still no definitive evidence of Davis being directly involved. But revelations regarding the amount of money changing hands between agent Gary Wichard and associate football coach John Blake were shocking and exposed the extent of inappropriate action.

And it is suspicious that these improprieties extended so high up the hierarchy of leadership as to be just beneath Davis.

Understandably, the Board of Trustees, Chancellor Holden Thorp and Athletics Director Dick Baddour have to maintain a public façade. It only paints a grimmer picture if they express doubt in Davis’ leadership, even though having no doubts — at this point — is ludicrous.

The opinion of the student paper is always very important in situations of crisis.  Isn’t it interesting (and telling) that one of the few “adult” views being articulated out of Chapel Hill is from the student paper?  While the UNC-CH leadership whistles in the graveyeard, the students somehow see things for what they are.

Also over the weekend, Lenox Rawlings of the Winston-Salem Journal explained his view that Davis’ outster is required to remove the “stench:” 

The stench will not leave until Butch Davis leaves, and even then it will linger like a smoldering tar pit beside an Old Well.

He makes a particularly interesting point causally relating the scandal to the way Davis marketed his program to recruits:

Detached outsiders have already concluded that Carolina, which markets its program as a fast lane to the NFL, ignored the combustible potential of employing a chief recruiter cozy with an agent.

The first voice of reason I noticed was Joe Mavretic’s. 

 Scott Mooneyham of the Daily Reflector and Caulton Tudor of the News and Observer followed with very strong pieces demanding Davis’ scalp.

The best piece of its kind written to date was from Ed Hardin of the Greensboro News and Record last Thursday.  Hardin minced no words:

Butch Davis, as defiant and delusional as ever, said he would not resign Thursday. That leaves the University of North Carolina only one option.

Fire him. Now.

On one of the worst days in the history of the school, the Tar Heels’ head football coach refused to admit anything was wrong. A day that began with headlines blaring about agents and money and a trail leading directly to the Carolina football offices ended with Davis claiming the administration had given him “total support.”

If he’s on the sideline Saturday when the Tar Heels play East Carolina, athletics director Dick Baddour should be fired, too.

After throwing everyone under the bus from former assistant John Blake to the UNC human resources department, Davis said nothing that has happened already is bad enough for him to resign.

The unfolding scandal has embarrassed the university, the alumni and the state of North Carolina. For that alone, he should resign. He hired Blake, considered one of the shadiest characters in the game. He hired the tutor the university later broke ties with, he said, for his own son. And she continued to work for him long after the school realized she had become “too close” to the players she was supposed to be tutoring and mentoring.

The Wilmington Star and Charlotte Observer have also both published articles doubting that Davis will survive.

No doubt this wave of opinion will continue to grow as more and more details emerge.

General UNC Scandal

22 Responses to Baddour responds to Daily Tarheel calling for Butch’s job(9:02 am)

  1. newt 10/04/2010 at 10:48 PM #

    Save BMFD!

  2. eas 10/05/2010 at 12:05 AM #

    I have two comments….

    1. Any other school would already be under the bus by now. Just ridiculous how the many issues (from money to academic cheating) have not been top shelf national news.

    2. I thought UNC would be the last school to actually put up with this! Fire the man and move on. Too many alumni and students actually understand the writing on the wall.

    I understand why they waited in the earlier phases but now a statement should be made to show how the facts prove the fairness of the outcome. Grow a pair and do the right thing.

  3. eas 10/05/2010 at 12:10 AM #

    Another bad commentator coming to espn in the near future. BMFD. Prolly better than the Mike Leach project though.

  4. travelwolf 10/05/2010 at 2:25 AM #

    I believe that we should be pushing for Davis to stay at Carolina. IMHO, he’s at the point where he is a “lame duck” coach. His players underachieved, and he probably couldn’t recruit without paying players to come to UNC. What else could we ask for (except light-blue honor being flushed down the toilet)???

  5. MatSci94 10/05/2010 at 7:08 AM #

    Its interesting that the UNC student paper seems to be the first one to note that this was the 2nd in command of the football team, and not some flunky.

  6. tuckerdorm1983 10/05/2010 at 8:05 AM #

    are the “Butch apologists” dwindling in numbers? Are the rats jumping from the ship?

  7. bradleyb123 10/05/2010 at 8:36 AM #

    I believe, at this point, it is only about money. Butch Davis is the mercenary we have always thought he was. He drove their program into a ditch, and still he is not going to leave without GETTING PAID. I have no doubt in my mind that he is negotiating behind closed doors, because if he resigns, he likely won’t get a dime. (Unless he has information that could lead to their basketball program being sanctioned, too. Then they might pay him to keep his yap shut!)

    No, I believe he wants Carolina to buy out his contract. And I believe they are balking, and just waiting for the type of NCAA sanctions that will enable them to fire him without paying him a dime.

    Again, unless he has something on their basketball team.

  8. fullmoon1 10/05/2010 at 8:56 AM #

    I think it is funny that DB claims BD has accepted responsibility. He has done anything but be accountable. The funniest bit it where DB uses Butch in the same sentence with fair play, Miami, and integrity. Thank goodness there is a new sheriff of stupid in town, a new Jed and a new laughing stock in this whole UNX fiasco. Has anyone else noticed the complete disappearance of any UNX football fans. All of a sudden there are none to be found at work, the bar or anywhere. Where did they all go?

  9. Sweet jumper 10/05/2010 at 9:02 AM #

    Baddour is a dumbass. He must be getting advice from Foulup.

  10. Hungwolf 10/05/2010 at 9:11 AM #

    The way they have handled things has put them in the position that to fire Davis is to admit guilt in their minds. Plus at this point going to be hard to hire any “Name” coach given the pending doom from the NCAA. Keeping Davis also keeps the recruiting class in tact.

    On a side note: Happy Birthday TOB!!!!!!!!

  11. newt 10/05/2010 at 9:16 AM #

    Objectively: The first step to recovery is to admit that you have a problem. I said in another thread that the NCAA sanctions will be irrelevant compared to the painful process UNC must go through to repair their image. They will have to open up the doors and windows to their program, admit they have serious issues, and take drastic action to prove they are cleaning up their act. Sort of like NC State did in the 90s.

    I think Baddour has dug his own grave by continuing to support BMFD and will not be part of that process.

    From an NC State fan perspective: Save BMFD! God, I hope they continue this charade and actually keep the current screw-ups on board. They will be not be more than semicompetitive and will continue to have scandals until they have to effectively shut down their programs.

    Wolfpack Unlimited…Carolina Exposed

  12. IamGumbyDammit 10/05/2010 at 9:21 AM #

    Based on at least two of the definitions below, DB is a tool.. Guess which ones. Come on, guess!
    tool   /tul/
    –noun
    1. an implement, esp. one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
    2. any instrument of manual operation.
    3. the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.
    4. the machine itself; a machine tool.
    5. anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose: Education is a tool for success.
    6. a person manipulated by another for the latter’s own ends; cat’s-paw.
    7. the design or ornament impressed upon the cover of a book.
    8. Underworld Slang .
    a. a pistol or gun.
    b. a pickpocket.
    9. Slang: Vulgar . penis.

  13. Prowling Woofie 10/05/2010 at 9:21 AM #

    Given the absolute silence by the BOG and ACC office over this entire fiasco, were I NCSU, I would flip both off if they even made a recommendation about how to operate the athletic dept.

    How can they stand by and not demand that UNC step up and face the music ?

    Integrity and UNC = Polar Opposites !

    ACC Commissioner, BOG, UNC BOT = Gutless, Shameful Homers !!!

  14. NCStatePride 10/05/2010 at 9:26 AM #

    I said this in the forums and I’ll say it here: Dick, when it comes to university officials arguing with students… well… King Louie would be wise not to mud-fight with the peasants. Heads tend to roll when that happens.

    If Baddour is smart, he’ll let the students run their mouths and just continue taking care of his (athletic) house.

  15. whitefang 10/05/2010 at 10:32 AM #

    The longer Butch Davis stays and twists in the wind, the better it is for us. A late season exit or better yet an “after the season” one with continuing stories like in the Charlotte Disturber today means the loss of more recruits and a greater chance of hiring an “academic” coach whose task is just clean-up the mess.
    I love it.

  16. packattack95 10/05/2010 at 10:43 AM #

    Dickie B really ought to shut up at this point. Everytime he speaks regarding the issues surrounding the scandal, he looks more and more stupid…

  17. Lunatic Fringe 10/05/2010 at 10:54 AM #

    Did the DTH writers just join the Lunatic Fringe?

    Baddour’s comments are the same closed-minded, dismissive type of comments that endured Fowler to NC State fans.

    I am torn…do I feel bad for the DTH (clearly understanding their frustration with an AD who just does not “get it”) or do I revel in their having to deal with the same stubborn leadership that NC State had to live with for 10 miserable years.

    OK…obviously revel in it, but trust us when we say, “We DO understand the frustration”.

  18. Elrod 10/05/2010 at 11:01 AM #

    There are so many open holes and deflections in Dickie’s message that I don’t know where to begin. To me, the bottom line is this: At least for now, he has effectively refused to hold BMFD accountable for his actions relative to his contract with BBU in an effort to retain the $70MM pledges for their expansion. Situational ethics at its finest!!

    What is he going to do when they connect the $$ dots through Blake to recruits and players? Why is he allowing BMFD to learn basic management responsibility ‘on the job’ when he has already shown the inability to make basic good judgments (like hiring the tutor)? If BMFD learned how to reform an institution so well at Miami, why did he replace the existing compliance folks with his own, just to see them fail massively? I could go on and on, but Dickie, the dance is getting OLD. You wouldn’t know what first-class was if it bit you in the butt and offered to arrange your notebook for you.

  19. JeremyH 10/05/2010 at 12:04 PM #

    If he didn’t know, it is only because he didn’t want to know, which means he did know.

    I could care less if they keep Butch or not. If he is above the law in their little world, good for them. They can keep him and the pile of dung they created for themselves over there…as long as the NCAA drops the hammer and punishes them according. If that does not happen, I think any team that has ever been punished by the NCAA for similar offenses will certainly raise hell about it.

  20. Gowolves 10/05/2010 at 12:28 PM #

    Elrod-They are some good points I didn’t think about.

    I think I read somewhere that half of the new revenues were going to be generated from the luxary boxes and other upgrades. This new revenue has been earmarked to pay for the expansion. If they cant sell the luxary boxes they are in big trouble If Butch is fired then any hope of a team is gone for at least 5 years. DB beleives that the success of the football team is paramount in being able to pay for this expansion. What he fails to realize in the end it will not matter if he(BFMD) stays on. He will be crippled with NCAA penalties that his teams will have trouble beating high school teams. No mater how you slice it the expansion is in big trouble and that falls squarly on DB and the BOT. This is the only reason why they are blindly staying the course. They have no choice if they want some hope to save the expansion. If Butch goes the expansion will be put on hold for a long time. If he stays there is a better chance it continues(still not much of a chance)

  21. freshmanin83 10/05/2010 at 1:15 PM #

    To bad NCSU did not stand by Coach Jimmy V like UNC is standing by their coach.

  22. cWOhLFrPAiCKs 10/05/2010 at 1:28 PM #

    The only thing I disagree with Hardin on is this:

    “The unfolding scandal has embarrassed the university, the alumni and the state of North Carolina.”

    While I agree that this is definitely embarrassing for the University and alumni, I don’t see how this embarrasses the whole state. I know that I’m not embarrassed about the fact that the “Flagship” has finally been outed as the cheaters and liars they have always been. I’m definitely not embarrassed that everyone is now experiencing the “Carolina Way” in full effect. This scandal has done nothing but lower the wool over the eyes of most people with two thoughts left in their brain (obviously excuses most Carolina fans…).

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