For the most part, it’s been nothing but bad news of late when the words “North Carolina football” and “NCAA” appear in the same paragraph.
Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they’ve received some welcome news from the Association.
The attorney for UNC defensive lineman Quinton Coples told multiple media outlets via a press release Tuesday that he has been informed by the NCAA that his client did not commit any violations that would impact his eligibility for the 2011 season. The initial concerns stemmed from a post-NFL-draft party in honor of former teammates who had come under NCAA scrutiny last year, forcing them to be stripped of their eligibility and missing the entire 2011 season.
“At no time was there ever any allegation or intimation of a violation of NCAA By-laws,” Robert Orr, Coples lawyer, said in the statement. “This process was simply the NCAA gathering information relevant to its responsibilities for monitoring student/athlete conduct as governed by the NCAA By-laws.”
According to reports, an NCAA investigator in May interviewed Coples in regard to his attendance at the party in Washington D.C. this past April. The soirée took place at the “Ultrabar” nightclub and Coples was seen in photographs posted on Facebook next to Marvin Austin and Robert Quinn, a pair of 2011 NFL draft picks who missed all of UNC’s 2010 season after being caught up in the agent scandal that rocked the Tar Heels football program.
Coples was a member of UNC’s 2008 recruiting class, and his name will litter many a preseason All-American team in the coming weeks and months.