SI weighs in on what UNC-CH might expect from the NCAA

UNC Scandal26

On the heels of Heather Dinich’s lambasting of Butch Davis, the national press continues to say things that should be very scary for UNC-CH football fans.  Yesterday, Andy Staples of Sports Illustrated posted this piece covering the NCAA’s hammering of USC (termed “some of the harshest penalties handed down by the NCAA in decades”) and the subsequent appeal denial.  If it is not enough that this Sports Illustrated article analyzes the USC, Ohio State, and UNC-CH infraction cases as all very comparable, Staples let this fly:

At some point in the not-too-distant future, the NCAA enforcement staff will wrap its investigation into North Carolina’s football program. The Tar Heels face an extra-benefits case in which multiple players received cash and goods from an outside source (in this case, an agent or multiple agents) based on their notoriety. In this case, the associate head coach was a former employee of one of the suspected agents, and the NCAA will presume he knew and did nothing about it. It’s entirely probable the NCAA will accuse former UNC assistant John Blake of acting as an agent runner.

Ouch!  I have to point out that Staples does not even contemplate the “tutor prong” in this piece, and I seriously doubt that whole thing will slip the NCAA’s mind.

UNC Scandal

26 Responses to SI weighs in on what UNC-CH might expect from the NCAA

  1. State Fan 05/27/2011 at 12:55 PM #

    Continued great work on this story. Thorpe just needs to take a page out of ECU Provost Marilyn Sheerer’s playbook and let the chips fall where they may. Nobody’s buying what he and Baddour are selling.

  2. old13 05/27/2011 at 1:38 PM #

    ^ You neglect to consider the IC nitwits!

  3. GoldenChain 05/27/2011 at 1:42 PM #

    Thorpe has painted himself into a corner. After a hearty and repeated defense of BD, the only way out for him is to throw BD under the bus when the stuff hits the fan and claim that BD was not honest with him and therefore BD must GO.

    P.S. I’m waiting for the story to break that BD was getting (or giving) some tutoring himself. That whole thing about tutoring his son, and being his son’s academic coach just sounds like hogwash to me.

  4. MrPlywood 05/27/2011 at 1:44 PM #

    They could always try a Columbus tattoo parlor – they’ll buy anything.

  5. Old MacDonald 05/27/2011 at 3:24 PM #

    UNC really slammed their dick in the door with this Coples thing. Look at all the national publicity/scrutiny it has gotten them. Plus it has got to be considered a huge middle finger by the NCAA.

    I wonder if the NCAA will invent a designation beyond “LOIC” and declare UNC-CH football an “Official Total Clusterfuck.”

  6. blpack 05/27/2011 at 3:26 PM #

    More dark clouds ahead for UNC-cheat. They may not see blue sky for quite some time.

  7. El Lobo Loco! 05/27/2011 at 3:30 PM #

    Sounds too good to be truth!

  8. ryebread 05/27/2011 at 4:13 PM #

    I’ll believe it when I see it. I suspect that UNC will have to vacate some wins (which is meaningless — no one ever has to return money), Butch may get fired and they may get probation for a few years.

    I just don’t expect to see significant scholarship losses, bans from the post season, bans from television, etc.. I wish that’d be the case, but color me skeptical.

  9. K_Wolf 05/27/2011 at 4:23 PM #

    It’s about darn time this gets more Nat’l attention! The more attention it gets, the harder i think NCAA will have to be on them. Personally, i kinda hope Mr 0-4 stays since TOB seems to have his number. And it will kinda make UNX look like fools if they don’t fire him for all this.

  10. runwiththepack 05/27/2011 at 5:00 PM #

    ryebread,
    I fear the same thing – the UNC mafia will be slick enough to slip out of this almost unscathed. They have long ago hired a PR firm to that end. We will continue to get our gag reflexes tested every time the national media have another chance to slobber all over themselves praising the “Carolina Way”, “Blue Heaven”, “Squeeky Clean”, “OH! What a beautiful campus”, blah, blah, blah….
    “SMASH” (the sound of my shoe shattering the tv screen).
    To seem, rather than to be. That’s what’s most important in Chapel Hill. And it has worked for them for a LONG time. What an incredible machine they have built to promote themselves with. And few journalistic sleuths question the mantra.

  11. wolffpride 05/27/2011 at 5:00 PM #

    I have to agree with ryebread,

    UNC is the type of school that can crawl through a river of s**t and come out clean on the other side.

  12. 1.21 Jigawatts 05/27/2011 at 5:38 PM #

    Stockholm syndrome

  13. TheAliasTroll 05/27/2011 at 5:41 PM #

    We don’t need no water let the motherf#$!er burn. Burn motherf#$!er. Burn.

  14. Pack78 05/27/2011 at 5:48 PM #

    Old Mac-CLASSIC-forget LOIC, we’re going for OTC!!!!

  15. 61Packer 05/27/2011 at 6:00 PM #

    UNC cheated. So did the guy in Columbus. Ditto for the folks down in Auburn.

    But these 3 schools will skate free of any significant consequences beyond what’s already happened.

    Honestly, I believe you guys on here who just KNOW the hammer is coming down on UNC football also believe that Middle East peace is just around the corner.

  16. State Fan 05/27/2011 at 6:41 PM #

    http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6522478

    I previously would have agreed that the Heels would skate, but the NCAA president wants sufficient sanctions to function as a deterrence. A slap on the wrist to UNC certainly isn’t going to deter others.

  17. Old MacDonald 05/27/2011 at 7:14 PM #

    You people who think UNC will “skate” are almost as nutty as the holocaust deniers over on IC.

    Although I guess “skate” should be defined.

  18. Pack1997 05/27/2011 at 7:37 PM #

    Screw the NCAA, where is the ACC? Swofford and his lackeys are no where to be found. Sure they can do interviews in regards to football bball and baseball but where is he when someone wants to talk about his beloved Heels? If he doesn’t call for extra sanctions on top of whatever the NCAA does, I expect many of the members of the ACC to start trying too push him out.

    Perhaps that is just wishful thinking.

  19. HPWolf 05/27/2011 at 8:39 PM #

    Justice is coming

  20. blpack 05/27/2011 at 8:53 PM #

    Heather’s article, SI article, Art Chansky chimes in, UNC-ch featured as part of the ‘problem’ on CFB Live today. Busy week for the holes. The house of cards is coming down.

  21. HPWolf 05/27/2011 at 9:04 PM #

    Carolina is going to be exposed for the cheats they are. The carolina way is going to be synonymous with cheating, lying and coverups. The farce and charade is over. I just hope the investigation uncovers the truth about the basketball program as well.

  22. wolfmanmat 05/28/2011 at 6:22 AM #

    The NCAA doesn’t care if your UNC/Auburn/OSU when it comes to disciplining programs. Look what they did at USC, a better program than UNC/Auburn and equal to OSU. The NCAA does not rush to act, which is why these 3 programs(not sure much case vs Auburn right now, but def vs OSU/UNC) have not been suspended yet andwhy it took 3-4 years after the infractions to suspend USC. It may take a couple years, but UNC is getting suspended and Butch is getting fired. The ONLY reason to even think the NCAA will be less harsh on UNC than USC is that UNC pro-actively suspended like 14 players last year after allegations. However, I believe the NCAA will come down equally harsh on UNC since SC really had 2 violations(Mayo and Bush). UNC’s violations were more widespreed and involved many, many players.

  23. albunde6 05/28/2011 at 7:14 AM #

    You guys have done a great job covering these events. Much better than the triad and triangle sports media. Just feel like UNX is the cheating husband and the NCAA and ACC are his blind wife.

    He comes home with lipstick on his collar, perfume on his pants, missing watch and ring “Deny, Deny, Deny” says the husband. “I was robbed by a female biker gang”. Yea, Yea thats the ticket. Hope I am wrong, but just don’t believe they will do a thing to them.

  24. DFMo 05/28/2011 at 10:26 AM #

    What’s the difference between OSU and UNC? OSU has proof that their HC knew about violations and did nothing. UNC is holding behind “we investigated and believe him when he says he did not know about the violations”. And of course, BMFD says it aloud.

    Just like Barry Bonds never knowingly took steroids. Doesn’t pass the sniff reasonability test.

  25. TomPack 05/31/2011 at 10:09 AM #

    Don’t worry about Auburn getting by…according to some media reports the reason that the NCAA suddenly backed off suspending Newton is that they were requested to hold off by the Justice Department. Right now there is a major investigation of a Savings and Loan regarding illegal use of Government bailout/ investors money. During the investigation some of the money has been traced to Auburn atheletes (esp football players). One of the board members of the S&L happens to be Pat Dye and there are alleged to be tons of ATM security pics of the players using S&L ATM cards to get money from a slush fund for them. So Auburn is looking at a heck of a mess once the JD is done and shares what has been uncovered with the NCAA.

1 2

Leave a Reply