SI connecting some dots re: UNC-CH’s agent scandal.
While the academic cheating scandal has curiously moved to the back burner, the agent prong of UNC-CH’s national nightmare is getting a lot of press lately.
Most recently, Sports Illustrated has published this article explaining some of the various facets of the UNC-CH mess. Notice that the national press is all over this story while the local folks seem to have little interest.
I have to go get ready to tailgate so I can’t do a lot of analysis, but here are some very “interesting” quotes from the article:
In the summer of 2009, Tar Heels defensive linemen Marvin Austin and Cam Thomas traveled to Proactive Sports Performance in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a training facility less than two miles from agent Gary Wichard‘s offices, and where Wichard’s clients routinely work out. Kentwan Balmer paid for the trip, Thomas told the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer. Balmer, who declined to say whether he did so in an interview with The Associated Press last month, is a former North Carolina player and a Wichard client, and thus the trip has come under NCAA scrutiny.
The North Carolina case shined a light on another group of hopeful profiteers: college coaches. That college coaches recruit for agents is a systematic problem that runs deeper than most fans realize. As agents describe it, the most common occurrence is that a former NFL player goes into college coaching and then promotes his old agent to his players. If that agent lands one of those players, the college coach gets either a flat fee or a percentage of the player’s rookie contract. It is one of the most effective ways to recruit, agents say, because players often see their position coaches as trusted advisors.
The NCAA has long been aware of this problem (at a recent NCAA regional rules seminar, one of the highlighted topics for discussion was “Agents compensating assistant and position coaches to recruit student-athletes”). The challenge is determining when a coach’s words of wisdom cross over into solicitation.
John Blake, North Carolina’s defensive line coach until he resigned on Sept. 5, once worked for Wichard’s company, Pro Tect Management. At numerous stops during Blake’s college coaching career — from Oklahoma to Mississippi State to Nebraska to North Carolina — his players have ultimately signed with Wichard. Yet only recently did this relationship raise eyebrows at the NCAA. (Wichard has denied that Blake helped him procure clients. Blake couldn’t be reached for comment.)
and
Ongoing NCAA investigations at Georgia and North Carolina include examinations of the relationship that former Tar Heels defensive back Chris Hawkins has had with players. ESPN reported that Hawkins shopped players to different agents, making him, as one person close to the investigation termed it, “an equal-opportunity” runner.
11 Responses to “SI connecting some dots re: UNC-CH’s agent scandal.”
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It seems so much more damning when the national media are running fairly in depth articles compared to local media. I’m waiting for the “head in the sand” strategy from the local media to bite them in the ass.
Happily, a Google Image search on “Marcus Wilson UNC” now returns the photo above as it’s very first result.
http://www.google.com/images?q=Marcus+Wilson+UNC
OleMac, dude, you’re on it!!!!!
I’ve been telling the locals that no way unx skates on this, in fact more probable is that the NC2A makes an example of them! I keep being told “yeah GC (wopack) but unx has attornies, lawyers, and politicians everywhere”. Guys, GET REAL! For every cheerleader they have 3 enemies. If they didn’t spare USC they certainly won’t spare unx.
In fact, it will be the pleasure of the NC2A to smack down unx just to prove they have more power than any ONE program.
Notice how comfortable Wilson looks hugging that sheep… bet it’s not his first time !
I won’t hold my breath waiting for the local ‘news’ people to folllow-up on any of these. At least someone is doing their job.
So, is it fair to say that the agent “prong” is comprised of three smaller prongs? Each of these smaller prongs implicates different individuals (with some overlap, sure) and and is in a different stage of being fully flushed out. However, I think, when you add in the academic issues, UNX is past the point of being able to casually explain things away with the “isolated/bad apple” excuse. Efficient quality control may let one or two things past, but having at least 13 players “involved” at some level, along with a coach and a former player who “frequently visited North Carolina’s football facility during the past few years,” means that something not only failed, but failed poorly enough to create a seedy subculture. And that’s if you assume that this behavior was not condoned or *gasp* encouraged by CBMFC and his bosses.
“Notice how comfortable Wilson looks hugging that sheep… bet it’s not his first time !”
That’s good stuff
Let there be blood. Lots and lots of blood.
This has been a long time coming…………..NO MERCY.
McCallum
this is the very essence of class struggle
/enemy at the gates’d
Interesting in the wilson article where they state that Austin and Little’s suspensions are a result of the ongoing ncaa investigation. I thought Butch said the suspensions where not related to the investigation? Not that I believed that anyway.
Also, I can’t believe that the group investigating issues such as the one down at chapel hill is made up of only 4 individuals. Are they supposed to oversee the entire ncaa? If so, that seems impossible. Not to mention the fact that they are all under the age of 33.
On a side note. Was at the game last night and mostly liked what I saw. Feels like we are heading in the right direction. Go Pack.
What I would love to see happen is Carolina, and the local Carolina-leaning media, doing everything in their power to minimize the damage and/or punishment, only to have the NCAA come down so hard on them that they won’t be able to recover for years.
For me, that would be better than them being cooperative and punishing themselves, with the NCAA’s approval.
Basically, I want them smacked down, and smacked down GOOD!