This is sort of “yesterday’s news”. If you believe, and I do, the information that has been posted elsewhere and also the comments from a lot of my UNC friends, who have several LTR’s at the DEAN, then the situation played out like this…
UNC suspended both lads. That was a smart move (not unheard of in how the Lawyers and PR folks recommend doing this and also how OTHER schools have done it). OK….that puts UNC in the driver’s seat. They notify the NCAA that there MAY have been inappropriate behavior as well as impermissible benefits. They are THEN the lead investigator….
They do their due diligence. At first, the case looks pretty simple. Dude got cars and was arrested for a few charges, but the evidence (in the opinion of the DCDA) was not sufficient for major charges…so some were dropped. That, legally, clears up some issues.
BUT, the NCAA does NOT deal in the minutiae of merely breaking the law. They have their OWN arcane rules (like catering a steak feed at your home – OK; Buying a player a Mickey D combo meal – IMPERMISSIBLE BENEFIT). So the thrust was to determine the magnitude or the frequency of the benefits. UNC investigated….not the NCAA. Fats’ lawyer said that. What one WOULD have thought at SOMEONE was interested in was how Fats got his BREAD and WHO his partners were (that is public record) and whether there was some really UGLY and BIG BREAD coming from them and/or folks representing (without being registered in NC) SPORTS AGENTS.
Now, one DOES wonder if UNC really found a BUNCH of mess. I first THOUGHT that they did. However, my old work years kicked in….and I think this is the case….
Let me give you an example. When I sold a commercial or industrial property for my company, it was actually handled by the Corporate Real Estate guy. I was the local contact and did the clean up and fix up. I also had all the environmental records as well as the building maintenance records…which include some professional surveys on the roofs and other infrastructure.
We had a position, which was also the Generally Accepted Practice that most companies followed of FULL DISCLOSURE. That meant that ANY document that I had about the building, the property, the past manufacturing/storage, the environmental issues, and any remediation…..were placed in a “OPEN, SECURED” file. Most of the time, a potential purchaser would send in his own team, including outside consultants, and survey the property. They would ask questions and fill out their forms. We ONLY gave them answers to what they asked and we gave them a full tour, but again, only minimal info….if they had questions, we would answer. THEN, they went back and put together a “Purchase Report”. That report was a summary of all they had been told. It also had “What we NOW want to know” items. SO, they would submit a list of issues….and we would dig out the answers from the Open, Secured file. IF they wanted to send in another team or a consultant to go through that file (probably 10 four drawer cabinets), then we would comply…as we had an open disclosure position. They rarely did….
My take, based on several conversations with the corporate lawyers and the environmental corporate lawyers and the real estate corporate lawyers (YES….we had MORE lawyers in the Ivory Tower than you can imagine)….is that….you present the basics….you do NOT put every gory or perhaps “RED FLAG” item in the “prospectus”. THEN, they it is THEIR responsibility to ASK and it is then OUR responsibility to answer based on the recorded (documented) information.
I think that UNC dug very little….but what they dug up was DAMNING. Once they had enough “initial” ugliness to realize that PJ was never, ever going to wear a light blue varsity uniform and participate in NCAA competition….they then STOPPED digging. Old ROY was optimistic….perhaps he thought that the PREVIOUS AD and the PREVIOUS Chancellor and the PREVIOUS Compliance Staff would “bury” some things….and then the UNC investigation would focus on a GOOD kid that made a LITTLE mistake and was SORRY.
BUT, it did not happen. The AD and all the top officials at UNC said UH-OHHH!. This is ugly. STOP digging. We already have to divulge, IF NECESSARY, what we have now. If we keep digging…and find more….then the NCAA MIGHT review it and MIGHT have some questions about LOIC!. SO, PJ was declared Persona Non Grata (PNG) and at that point, they focused on salvaging Leslie McDonald.
It is my distinct feeling that EVERY high ranking official in the chain from PJ to the Chancellor and the various other little branches involved, save old Huck, want PJ OUT OF THERE….it is time for him to do a “Sound of Music” good bye song and walk into the darkness (out of the spotlight) at the next UNC Home Game…and like Captain Von Trapp, he will NOT report for duty to sit with Old Roy on the bench…
Twill be interesting to see if he still there tonight….
The informal surveys that I have heard about or conducted say that a majority of UNC fans and alums and donors think he needs to follow Al Gore’s lead and say…”It is TIME for ME to GO….!”
This melodrama will play for years….and eventually Roy will decide that his “Butch” attitude is NOT in his best interest. MOST AD’s lose when they try to replace coaches with “NCAA Rings” (ORW hath 2), but this is NOT your typical situation and the fans and the reputation of the university are at odds with the coach’s little song and dance….
Bubba does not have all the trump cards that Roy has…but he has a few high ones and seems to understand the game well….
