It’s been over three months since former North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was fired over the summer with the NCAA giving the program a notice on allegations of improper benefits received by players and academic misconduct. Now, Davis is breaking his silence for the first time since releasing a statement on his dismissal.
In a nine-minute video which you can watch below, Davis addresses the “situation at North Carolina” and dives into what he feels are inaccuracies about his knowledge of accusations of wrongdoing by former assistant coach John Blake and tutor Jennifer Wiley.
Below are just a couple excerpts from Davis’ video (courtesy of InsideCarolina)
“Let’s talk for a bit about John Blake,” Davis says. “Did I know he had such a close relationship with a sports agent? No. Should I have known? I wish I had known. ... After being named head coach at UNC, I presented John’s name, along with several other candidates, for the assistant positions that were open. These names were given to the University administration, and as far as I know, they each underwent and passed background checks. It was my understanding that under UNC policies, all football employees -- including myself -- need to be cleared by the human resources department for any history that would be relevant to the job. Further, it was also my understanding that the UNC compliance office would contact the NCAA to determine whether a candidate might have a history of violations at any former institution. So, to reiterate, did I know of John’s close relationship with an agent? No. Do I wish I had known? Yes.”
...
“A lot of have been said about (the tutor issue), almost all of it wrong. Tammy and I came to Miss Jennifer Wiley, the tutor, through the University’s academic support department when we asked for a recommendation for a tutor for our son. The department recommended only one person - Jennifer Wiley - and they did so glowingly. We immediately liked Jennifer, and still do; our son considered her to be like an older sister. From what I understand, the primary allegations against Jennifer arose when the academic support department neglected to tell her that she was absolutely forbidden to help any student athlete once we stopped being a tutor. I did not know about that failure and I wish it had not happened.”