As North Carolina academic scandal deepens, all eyes on Mark Emmert

Quotes of Note UNC Scandal36

So while Mr. Big Stick thumped his chest about Penn State—before and after delivering the sanctions—we haven’t heard squat from him about what will become the worst infractions case in the history of college sports. And that was before the latest mind-numbing details released Monday by the News & Observer: the gross case of academic fraud could go back a decade—and include North Carolina’s legendary men’s basketball program.

The national attention growing behind the NCAA’s silence in the UNC-CH academic fraud case and cover-up continues to grow. One day, the UNC Board of Governors may actually wake up. Until then, we have The Sporting News.

When he announced crippling sanctions against Penn State, when he stuck the governing body’s nose in a legal action, Emmert made it clear that he alone had been given power to ignore due process and NCAA bylaws to protect “the foundation of amateur sports.”

Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, N.C., the entire university is complicit in a systemic charade of bogus, no-show classes for athletes; a scheme that—you’re gonna love this part—the NCAA missed while investigating North Carolina over the past two years.

Fortunately, the man with the Big Stick has the Raleigh News & Observer doing the heavy lifting, exposing the real threat to the foundation of intercollegiate athletic sports. Or as my athletic director friend said, “Pandora’s Box.”

From 2007-2011, an internal review at UNC revealed 54 no-show classes in the Department of African and Afro American Studies where student-athletes were given grades for fake classes. The university says two department heads were responsible for the academic fraud, but the News & Observer says evidence suggests athletes were steered to classes by academic counselors assigned to the athletic department.

Think about that: the athletic department and a department of academics conspiring to keep students eligible so they can play games. This isn’t high school, everyone. This is one of the most respected academic institutions in the world cheating to keep athletes eligible.

[snip]

But there’s no avoiding academic fraud; no escape from what it exposes and how it jeopardizes the lifeblood of a multi-billion dollar, tax-exempt industry. There’s no denying the reality that if this unthinkable case of academic fraud is happening at North Carolina, where else is it hiding?

Quotes of Note UNC Scandal

36 Responses to As North Carolina academic scandal deepens, all eyes on Mark Emmert

  1. grizzlyman 08/13/2012 at 9:49 PM #

    I just emailed Mr. Emmert and pointed out the inconsistencies in UNX’s story, how they had a paid agent on staff and a drug dealing runner in the locker room, and the famous Ms. Wiley on UNX’s and BMFD’s payroll. Then I asked him if that was a track record to trust.
    The frustrating thing is that if a TRULY independent review was done of the academic problems at UNC, we would all respect the conclusions, if it showed isolated academic fraud or wide spread. However, no one has called for, or is willing to accept a true, through, and honest investigation of the problems at UNX. At least no one who could make it happen.

  2. gcpack 08/13/2012 at 10:59 PM #

    Well the NCAA isn’t likely to go after one of the few so called esteemed basketball schools that do it the “right way”.

    They have no problem when it comes to football because the NCAA gets nothing out of the FBS post season.

    But the money maker that the NCAA basketball tournament is makes it significantly less likely the Emmert will be a stand up guy and, once
    again, do it the “right way”.

    If this child abuse thing had come up at a big time basketball school I have my doubts that Emmert and the NCAA would have made the show out of it like the did with a football school like PSU.

    Fat chance that they go after institutional control issues at UNC-Cheat.
    Although its blatantly obvious that this scandal is a PRIME example of institutional control problems. Basketball is too important at UNC and therefore of ultimate importance to the NCAA.

  3. Mike 08/13/2012 at 11:46 PM #

    The missing link in all this is Swofford. Johnny Swoff has been quiet. Yet, he was former AD and all of a sudden seems to have had a hand or two in this.

    An architect designs a building, and soon receives an appointment to some governing inspection body. The building collapses, and now the inspector has to find fault with someone. Oops, the inspector realizes this is the building he designed that just crashed to the ground. Of course he keeps quiet. Swoff helped build this travesty and this is one reason he is being quiet.

    So Marvin threatened to “really spill the beans” as they say. And now we know Butch’s hush money was paid because he actually had very little involvement, except to keep the program going. Makes sense now. If Butch had started it, they could have fired him and moved on. But since Butch was continuing the scam, he knew the detailsa nd could expose it for waht is really is.

  4. runwiththepack 08/14/2012 at 12:31 AM #

    “There’s no denying the reality that if this unthinkable case of academic fraud is happening at North Carolina, where else is it hiding?”

    Ugh! Maybe Chapel Hill once upon a time was a beacon of virtue in college athletics. After a few more months of the lid on this pot of whatever threatening to blow off through the roof, maybe sports writers will start to “get it” that UNC-CH never was what it seemed to be. Until then, grit the teeth, and I will be thankful that this article was written, which is rather new ground for sports journalism.

  5. lawful 08/14/2012 at 2:49 AM #

    Louis Bissette, chairman of the special Board of Governors panel, said Monday the panel will delve into the latest revelations and any that follow. “All I can say to you is we really mean to do this right,” he said, “and we mean to do it thoroughly and we mean to look at all relevant material.”

    Yes, we mean to do it, we intend to do it, and we’ll contemplate whole-heartedly to do it…..

    Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/13/2266292/transcript-in-unc-probe-may-be.html#storylink=cpy

    Question: How can you tell a UNC administrator is lieing when they discuss this scandal?

  6. coach13 08/14/2012 at 9:30 AM #

    I’m telling you now…something stinks at the NCAA. Reading other articles, they don’t want to return calls or speak about UNC. It’s as if they want everyone else to stop talking about it. Some kind of deal must have been struck with the original penalties. How the hell they can do nothing at this time is incredible. I want an independent FBI agent tearing UNC apart, and the NCAA should want that too.

  7. coach13 08/14/2012 at 9:34 AM #

    I wonder now in retrospect, if Davis got there and thought “Holy S4it! this place is f-ed up.” It’s looking like he pretty much inherited all the cheating and scandal and pretty much just kept the status quo.

  8. gumby 08/14/2012 at 10:24 AM #

    lawful, “mean to” is several steps BEFORE “fixin’ to”, which really means they won’t do anything at all until (or is that unless?) their feet are in the fire after some other authority (NCAA finally?) nails the Holes and they look foolish for having done nothing at all. It’s the Carolina BoG Way…

  9. TLeo 08/14/2012 at 1:06 PM #

    “I’m telling you now…something stinks at the NCAA. Reading other articles, they don’t want to return calls or speak about UNC. It’s as if they want everyone else to stop talking about it. Some kind of deal must have been struck with the original penalties.”

    They do want everyone to go away and ignore this. Follow the money and I am convinced there has been a “payoff” to someone at the ncaa.
    I saw a headline today that PSU’s academic accreditation was in jeopardy. How the hell does that happen at PSU and yet no one in authority wants to acknowledge the blatant academic fraud at unc?????

  10. MISTA WOLF 08/14/2012 at 2:33 PM #

    This is even bigger than UNC I think. I firmly believe the NCAA has been covering for UNC now for a long time, trying to erase the shit stains with Shout. Thing is its finally caught up with them. It’s bigger than Carolina. The whole dag system is corrupted. Time to REBOOT.

  11. MISTA WOLF 08/14/2012 at 2:40 PM #

    Carolina will end up having to take the fall. Thing is the NCAA has been covering Carolina’s ass for a while now. The whole thing is corrupt guys. UNC is the illusion here. It’s the NCAA protecting the cash cow.

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