Agents give UNC Players Gifts & Grades?!?

The N&O has been trickling out some damning pieces the past few weeks aimed at UNC and their academics. This morning Dan Kane has new revelations surrounding the “Public Ivy”.

Sports agent taught class at UNC-CH

At a time when UNC-Chapel Hill officials were embarrassed to find that sports agents had infiltrated the football program, the chairman of the university’s African and Afro-American Studies Department hired an agent to teach a summer class.

At the time of the class this summer, the agent, Carl Carey Jr., was representing two UNC football players who had been selected in this spring’s NFL draft.

Julius Nyang’oro hired Carey to teach a month-long course called Foundations of Black Education in the first summer semester. Carey is a former adjunct professor and academic adviser to football players who left the university in 2002 and started a business advising athletes looking to turn pro.

Carey’s return to campus was a problem for UNC’s athletic department, which quickly alerted its academic advisers to not recommend his class. John Blanchard, a senior associate athletic director, said the department did not know Carey had been hired until after the fact.

“Normally I wouldn’t be concerned, but I was because of what we’ve been going through,” Blanchard said. Only one athlete, a female, took the class.

While he was teaching, Carey was trying to retain Robert Quinn as a client. He is now suing Quinn, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Rams, in an attempt to recover nearly $300,000 in loans and advances he said he gave Quinn in advance of a professional contract.

He became an agent three years later, and today represents one of UNC’s biggest gridiron stars: Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers.

Carey’s return to campus was a problem for UNC’s athletic department, which quickly alerted its academic advisers to not recommend his class. John Blanchard, a senior associate athletic director, said the department did not know Carey had been hired until after the fact.

“Normally I wouldn’t be concerned, but I was because of what we’ve been going through,” Blanchard said. Only one athlete, a female, took the class.

UNC-CH’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Karen Gil, who oversees Nyang’oro and approved Carey’s hire, said she did not know he was a sports agent.

“In hindsight,” she said in an email message, “it would have been better to know.” She did not make herself available for an interview and did not respond to further questions about the hire.

While he was teaching, Carey was trying to retain Robert Quinn as a client. He is now suing Quinn, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Rams, in an attempt to recover nearly $300,000 in loans and advances he said he gave Quinn in advance of a professional contract.

UNC officials say Carey won permission to teach the month-long summer session class because he has the credentials and experience. He has a Ph.D in educational psychology and is teaching a class that he taught 11 years ago as an adjunct professor under Nyang’oro.

But Nyang’oro’s decision raises more questions about his connections to football players and an athletic department wracked by a football scandal. Allegations of NCAA violations include an assistant coach taking money from an agent, a former UNC football player who the NCAA considers an agent with access to players in the weight room, and numerous athletes accepting trips, parties and other perks from agents.

That investigation into impermissible benefits and academic misconduct forced 14 players to miss at least one game last season, and seven, including Quinn, sat out the entire season. In July, Chancellor Holden Thorp fired football coach Butch Davis and accepted the retirement of Athletic Director Dick Baddour. UNC-CH has until Sept. 19 to respond to an NCAA notice of allegations, and is scheduled to appear before the association’s infractions committee on Oct. 28.

Shouldn’t an Independent investigation into UNC’s African American department, Professor Nyang’oro, and all athletes who took classes begin? For the sake of knowing if there is any fire in the midst of all this smoke and clear any players names who are associated with this who earned their grades.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

UNC Scandal

41 Responses to Agents give UNC Players Gifts & Grades?!?

  1. bigwolfpacker 08/27/2011 at 7:44 AM #

    Did he actually ever teach an football players? Not sure if I missed that or not. If he didnt then I dont see the problem.

  2. LRM 08/27/2011 at 8:22 AM #

    Well, at leastwe can all be wholly certain no basketball players would ever be involved in something like this.

  3. MatSci94 08/27/2011 at 8:31 AM #

    If this were a different professor in a different department, I think I would agree. I’m not sure that “Do you happen to be a sports agent” would make it on my list of interview questions for college instructors. *BUT*, when the instructor that accepted the obviously plagiarized paper, the professor involved in a remedial incoming freshman making a B in a 400 level course, and now that same professor employed a sports agent who was actively representing former UNC athletes…at some point its not just coincidence, but active manipulation of the system.

  4. projectwentynine 08/27/2011 at 9:09 AM #

    UNC’s Department of Athletes and Affirmative Action Studies, a beacon of hope for functionally illiterate athletes everywhere.

  5. golf76 08/27/2011 at 9:13 AM #

    This is quite curious. While it is conceivable that there is nothing here, even incidental contact with a person who has something to gain monetarily can influence a player’s trust and ultimately influence which agent they choose. A new strategy to sign clients?

    It is indeed long past time for an independent investigation. Who do we write a letter to, to formally request an independent investigation?

  6. tuckerdorm1983 08/27/2011 at 9:24 AM #

    hen guarding the fox house

  7. sundropdrinker13 08/27/2011 at 9:27 AM #

    bigwolfpacker, the problem is that he is an agent, and actively sought to get Quinn as his client WHILE he was teaching his course. He allegedly slipped Quinn $300k in “advance” money, and now wants it back since Quinn din’t sign with him. If he tried to get Quinn as a client while he was teaching, he more than likely tried to sign others.

    After re-reading the article, I saw it says this summer. While the Quinn deal is not as big as I originally thought, the fact that UNC hired yet another agent shows (to me at least) that UNC does not do a proper background check on people. Also, there is no telling if he had contact with people on the current roster of the FB, BB, or baseball teams.

  8. IMFletcherWolf 08/27/2011 at 9:56 AM #

    I’m less concerned with the agent, Carey, as I am the professor, Nyang’oro. This is another shady thing he has done (hiring an agent to teach a class). Just adds to his long-running list of questionable actions.

  9. UnclePen 08/27/2011 at 10:25 AM #

    This line is amazing to me. Why is this not a big deal??? A UNC professor suing a UNC player for loans and advances? I guess I don’t understand the laws well enough. Can someone explain.

    >>>”While he was teaching, Carey was trying to retain Robert Quinn as a client. He is now suing Quinn, a first-round pick of the St. Louis Rams, in an attempt to recover nearly $300,000 in loans and advances he said he gave Quinn in advance of a professional contract.”<<<

  10. tjfoose1 08/27/2011 at 10:53 AM #

    You don’t see a problem? Then I guess you wouldn’t see a problem with runners in the weight room or agents serving food at the chow house… Heck, why not just have agents opening up branch offices in the student union?

    It’s about exposure and access to players. Its about controling the on campus environment.

    The dude recruited Robert Quinn while he was teaching! What’s to stop him from recruiting active players? He’s teaching a UNC course, on campus!

    Access, exposure, opportunity, and to a less sophisticated player, it would appear to be an endorsement from the University.

    “Everybody” doesn’t do this. Most institutions ban agents from their facilities, they don’t invite the fox to guard the pig pen adjacent to the hen house.

  11. wolfonthehill 08/27/2011 at 11:01 AM #

    I’m probably missing something… but when did Quinn get the 300k? While in school? While still playing? Or after he was done?

  12. sequoyah 08/27/2011 at 11:04 AM #

    Not to worry, it says here that Dick Baddour is ‘strongly committed’ & has a policy in place for agent contact:

    http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/school-bio/unc-compliance/agent-info.html

    “Q: What services can university personnel provide in regard to sports agents?
    A: University personnel can provide guidance in the selection or screening of agents, review proposed professional sports contracts, and assist in securing tryouts with professional teams.”

    oops..they forgot to add: ‘you never know, University personnel might just be agents’

  13. Wulfpack 08/27/2011 at 11:31 AM #

    Would love to know the law in this area. I have no idea what the NCAA says, but what about students that end up working for, and profiting from, a professor’s ties to research? I think this is probably more complicated than some believe. Taking everything as a whole, it doesn’t pass the smell test. Seems wrong but I’d like to know on what exact grounds. Glad that “journalists” are digging. Probably a whole lot more there.

  14. leroy corso 08/27/2011 at 11:45 AM #

    He did not teach any football players. BUT…he certainly had easy access to them. He signed three of them for cryin’ out loud. Just when you thought the cesspool couldn’t get any stinkier.

  15. logarithm 08/27/2011 at 11:48 AM #

    Guys, I have an idea. You know how the sign-out sheet handles problems with the players going off campus? They can institute a sign-IN sheet for EVERYONE ELSE coming onto campus. That way they’ll be SURE to catch agents trying to sneak in!

  16. bTHEredterror 08/27/2011 at 11:55 AM #

    “It was “agents day” on the campus”

    Or, as its known by its other name on the campus at UNx……today.

  17. Mike 08/27/2011 at 11:58 AM #

    Would you all just drop this please? There is nothing going on over there. Friday has already arroved and now it has passed so let it go.

  18. TheAliasTroll 08/27/2011 at 12:23 PM #

    Sign out sheets!

  19. TheAliasTroll 08/27/2011 at 12:29 PM #

    Another piece of the puzzle. The puzzle being how to get a top 10 nationally ranked football class to come to an ACC basketball school and perennially mediocre/losing football program.

  20. Old MacDonald 08/27/2011 at 12:45 PM #

    Everybody does it!

  21. gcpack 08/27/2011 at 12:55 PM #

    To have this piece of the scandal appear as well as the plagiarism by mcadoo and the admission of austin into a 400 level class with a B+ for a guy needing remedial writing looks obviously like lack of institutional control. All this occuring NOT before the NCAA started investigating but AFTER.

    Any school having this behavior after the NCAA arrives speaks either of disregard for the rules or incompetence in maintaining control over factions within the university that are inclined to give athletes preferential treatment such as professors and administrators.
    Either way its obvious the institution known as UNC is not in control of its athletic department and its associated supporters.

    Is that not lack of institutional control?

  22. Old MacDonald 08/27/2011 at 1:00 PM #

    You could argue that they were in total control…

  23. sequoyah 08/27/2011 at 1:04 PM #

    ^ Wulfpack, I’m not sure what the law is on this topic, but at a minimum, doesn’t an agent need to be registered with the NC SOS to sign/negotiate with players in NC, like Mr. Carey apparently did with Quinn? He’s not on the SOS listing: http://www.secretary.state.nc.us/athlete/

  24. Old MacDonald 08/27/2011 at 1:18 PM #

    For those of you keeping score, at UNC they had agents (as defined by the NCAA) on the coaching staff (Blake), on the team (Marvin), running loose in the weight room (Hawkins), and now on the faculty!

    Also important is that this agent was teaching a class this past summer, about a year after the NCAA investigation started. They have lost their minds.

  25. ryebread 08/27/2011 at 1:55 PM #

    When you put it all together, it really looks like “lack of institutional control to me.” Given those words weren’t in the NCAA’s notice, I wonder if that penalty can be levied now. It sure looks like it is deserved from everything that I see.

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