As we posted earlier, the University of North Carolina received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA today following a nearly year-long investigation into the program over alleged impermissible benefits provided to players and academic fraud.
UNC has just sent out the official NOA containing allegations of violation of NCAA bylaws, but here is a quick run down of the allegations:
Allegations against former assistant coach John Blake:
- Unethical conduct for providing false and misleading information to the NCAA enforcement staff and to the institution and for failure to cooperate with the investigation.
- Marketed athletic abilities of student-athletes to agent Gary Wichard.
- Received outside income that he did not report to the institution (NOA claims $31,000).
Allegations against alumna Jennifer Wiley:
- Unethical conduct for refusing to provide information to the NCAA enforcement staff and to the institution.
- Provided extra benefits to student-athletes in the form of travel and parking expenses, and tutoring (the allegations claim Wiley paid $1,789 in parking violations on Aug. 20, 2010 for an unnamed student-athlete).
Allegations of academic fraud against student-athletes and the tutor
Allegations that student-athletes received preferential treatment and accepted impermissible benefits (the NOA claims over $27,000).
Allegations against a former student-athlete for unethical conduct
Failure by the institution to adequately monitor the conduct of Chris Hawkins, an individual triggering NCAA agent legislation; the social media activity of the football team for a period in 2010; and possible extra benefits to a student-athlete triggered by agent legislation.
Noticeably absent from the 42-page NOA? Head coach Butch Davis, who apparently had zero clue as to what was going on with all of this.
The following responses were issued by UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp, AD Dick Baddour and coach Davis.
Thorp:
“I deeply regret that Carolina is in this position. We made mistakes, and we have to face that. When the investigation started a year ago, we pledged to cooperate fully with the NCAA, to go where the facts took us, and to face the issues head on. Our level of cooperation is evident in the allegations, some of which arise from facts that we self-reported to the NCAA. We will emerge with a stronger athletics program, and we will restore confidence in Carolina football.”
Baddour:
“We are disappointed to be in this position because it goes against everything we believe in, but we are thankful to get to the next step in the process. These are the issues that we have been dealing with since last summer. We will gather the information the NCAA has requested and prepare to address the notice with the NCAA in the fall. We have a strong staff that will help get us through this and put us in a position where we will be a better athletic department as a result. Our fans have been through a lot this past year, and we appreciate their continued patience and support as we work through these next steps with the NCAA.”
Davis:
“I feel terrible that these allegations occurred under my watch. I especially regret that the university has had to endure this scrutiny because of the football program. The responsibility for correcting any problems that put us in this position is mine, and I take that responsibility very seriously.
“I want to thank our fans for the tremendous support we have received. Their loyalty and support has been especially appreciated by our student-athletes. The opportunity I have to serve the University of North Carolina is one that I cherish, and I will continue to focus on improving every aspect of our football program.”
UNC received a Notice of Inquiry from the NCAA two weeks ago and will have 90 days to respond to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions regarding the aforementioned allegations. The COI would consider UNC’s case during its meeting in late October.