Why State Fans Care

Two decades ago, us State fans suffered the indignity of investigations into Jim Valvano’s basketball program by the NCAA, Poole Commission and even the SBI, as well as a vitriolic assault by the local media and Board of Governors. (Click here for a must read that integrates nicely into today’s entry.) As a result of our self-imposed sanctions, we found ourselves suffering through the degradation of the 90s. By the way, the aforementioned investigations revealed nothing beyond minor infractions, and even then-UNC System president C.D. Spangler admitted that only “the spirit, not the letter” of the law was broken, and the NCAA found the University’s internal punishment satisfactory. (Read more about this here.)

Just imagine if we’d done things the way they do now over at The Flagship.

Some of my closest friends and family are Carolina fans; heck, most of them are even the rarest kind: alums. I don’t base my friendships on college loyalties, and in fact I enjoy the bickering and feuding with my friends and cousins. Still, I’m no different than any other true State fan, reveling in the public deconstruction of the arrogant elitism of the Carolina Way. The average Carolina fan will tell you that the only folks who care about this scandal are obsessed State fans, and I won’t argue otherwise because the reality is the average Carolina fan simply hasn’t been paying attention.

Since the Carolina Way’s poster child Marvin Austin (literally, see below) kicked off this scandal on his Twitter account last summer, the leadership over at The Flagship has done nothing but obstruct the investigation (sorry, “review”), evade legitimate questions, and, of course, lie. But this isn’t a story about Holden Thorp, Dick Baddour, and Butch Davis, because they’re nothing but spokesmen for the average Carolina fan, who has long championed the supremacy of their ideology. Yet after it failed them on such a monumental scale, the average Carolina fan has responded not with outrage but instead with passive indifference.

Meanwhile, it’s a “truth” those of us that endure Thanksgiving dinners, tailgates, and moments around the water cooler have long appreciated: The Carolina way is all hat and no cattle.

And the average Carolina fan could care less. They’re neither indignant nor embarrassed that Butch Davis hired the notoriously-sketchy John Blake and then went out of his way to build a system based on avoiding compliance. They’re not angry that Thorp and Baddour have shamelessly spun, stalled and redacted their way through this investigation. This should be seen as a disgraceful representation of the greatness of the Carolina Way, but it isn’t.

John Wayne said “A man’s got to have a code, a creed to live by, no matter his job.” The Carolina Way should have been that type of code for Carolina fans, but now they’ve finally realized they’ve lived their whole lives amidst a giant lie. And the great tragedy here is that they don’t care.

And when the dust settles they’ll have hitched their wagon to a horse that in four years has a single bowl victory and zero wins over lowly N.C. State, which doesn’t even have a catchy ethos of its own like Carolina once did.

Quite simply, the reason State fans care so much about the UNC football scandal is because, well, someone has to.

About LRM

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

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67 Responses to Why State Fans Care

  1. lawful 06/23/2011 at 2:50 PM #

    Hammer, despite what this may look or sound like, this is a legal battle. I’m not sure exactly how the NCAA is defined but they work much like an administrative agency with particular rules and particular procedures. Rolling over and admitting guilt is neither in the cards, nor in their best interest. It may not make anyone happy, but UNC must play the legal game, including stonewalling, dodging, and dragging their feet to the best of their ability. Filing their answer on anything but the very last day is a day they’ve wasted. This is not to say that they are doing anything incriminating by behaving as such, just that they are following the procedures in a manner as so best to serve themselves.

  2. Hungwolf 06/23/2011 at 3:14 PM #

    Two points I have not seen anyone make. People say Davis was not named in the report and that the tutor was named in one part of the and omitted in the other.

    So maybe the one tutor was named and ANOTHER tutor was not, maybe we have 2 tutors in the report.

    2 admin names were omitted by UNC in the released report, how do we know one of those names is not Davis. Maybe he is in the report and UNC omitted his name. Why else would UNC feel the need to omit administration names? Maybe Davis is in the report?

    Anyone got answers or thoughts about this?

  3. rtpack24 06/23/2011 at 3:27 PM #

    tag42481 I would like to think it could wipe out 09 and the Nat. champ. but I believe Little only played in 08. He was probably promised to play b-ball his freshman year for backing out on his Notre Dame committment and going to UNC.

  4. rtpack24 06/23/2011 at 3:31 PM #

    One of many things that I find odd about this is that UNC has not self-imposed any penalties yet. I do not recall any school even close to this much trouble not self-imposing before they went in front of the NCAA. All the heels did was appeal every decision made by the NCAA.

  5. kool k 06/23/2011 at 3:43 PM #

    I do not like UNC-Chapel Hill. They are not good people.

  6. TruthBKnown Returns 06/23/2011 at 3:44 PM #

    ^ rtpack24, I’m not sure it’s customary to self-impose penalties before the NOA is sent. I think maybe now (or during their October meeting with the NCAA) is when they would announce any self-imposed sanctions.

    Personally, I’m not expecting any tough self-imposed sanctions. They might put themselves on probation for a number of years, but that’s about it. They won’t self-sanction and ban themselves from the postseason or from appearing in TV games. But as arrogant as they are, it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t self-sanction at all, and instead just daring the NCAA to do something. If that happens, I hope they throw the book at them.

  7. TruthBKnown Returns 06/23/2011 at 3:45 PM #

    “I think “highstick” is right. I haven’t seen any vote of confidence from anyone regarding Butch’s job security lately. Maybe I have missed it, but it has been noticeably absent in my opinion.”
    — Posted by Hungwolf

    Hungwolf, I believe Baddour reaffirmed that Butch was going to remain their coach. Saw him on TV soon after the NOA came out.

  8. TruthBKnown Returns 06/23/2011 at 3:49 PM #

    “If Greg Little is ruled ineligible for the 08 and 09 seasons then would that not also vacant all the wins in basketball since Mr Little was an activated player on the b- ball team and actually played in numerous games? This would wipe out the ACC title!”
    — Posted by rtpack24

    rtpack24, I read that Greg Little’s first offense happened in April of ’08, and he only played basketball in the 2007-08 season. So if his first “crime” happened that late, it would not force them to vacate any wins from the 2007-08 season, because he would have still been eligible at the time that he played.

    But the source of this info may have been one of their many fans in full denial mode. But the NCAA has not alleged anything about their basketball program, so maybe it’s true.

  9. VaWolf82 06/23/2011 at 4:01 PM #

    The tutor isn’t talking because she’s been bribed, otherwise what reason would she have for not talking?

    Three letters – “I”, “R”, “S”

    If money was being funneled through her, then she has every reason to keep quiet even if she hasn’t gotten a penny since this all came out.

  10. TruthBKnown Returns 06/23/2011 at 4:47 PM #

    VaWolf82, that could also explain why she has such a high-powered attorney.

  11. packhammer 06/23/2011 at 4:48 PM #

    Sorry, but I can’t resist. They have self-imposed a penalty, the bloody, dreaded, program killing signout sheets.

  12. wolfpacker 06/23/2011 at 4:54 PM #

    I am certain that she’s paying for her high-powered attorney as well. He might want maybe 50% of what she makes…just as a retainer?

  13. runwiththepack 06/23/2011 at 6:53 PM #

    I read somewhere, but can’t remember where, that said “tutor” is from a rather wealthy “old money”? (a.k.a. Chapel Hill-connected) family. Surprise, surprise, huh? This was maybe just pocket change for the love-sick chick (or, at least pocket change for her lawyer daddy).

    If so, it is irrelevant, in this case, that she is merely a skoo teechr. Daddy’s deep pockets will take care of her.

  14. highstick 06/23/2011 at 6:53 PM #

    VaWolf, seems like that if there is an IRS issue, it might be more on the “money laundering” side rather than her “hiding income”..

  15. VaWolf82 06/23/2011 at 8:37 PM #

    Good point ‘stick.

    But the fact remains that if Blake and/or Wiley did what they are accused of, there is no reason to answer any questions from the NCAA when that would simply risk questions from alphabet agencies with real bite.

  16. lawful 06/23/2011 at 9:01 PM #

    That’s an interesting angle but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of an instance where they have stuck their noses into something like this. That dept. is far overburdened as it is.

  17. ktpritch 06/23/2014 at 10:54 AM #

    Though posted three years ago now, not sure how much has changed…

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