More trouble for UNC? This time the Hansbrough's involved

((ht: newsobserver.com))

Didn't North Carolina once have a pristine reputation as a school that played by the rules at any cost? That time seems so long ago.

We and many others have reported extensively on the NCAA issues with the football program. They go back several years and seemingly get deeper by the day.

Now Basketball is involved.

The scandal involves the mother of former UNC basketball star Tyler Hansbrough. The Raleigh News-Observer has discovered that Tami Hansbrough resigned from her $95K a year job a a "Fundraiser" for the school.

She apparently resigned after an investigation shows she took boatloads of personal trips on the school's dime. And the scandal has claimed the job of the school's chief fundraiser, former QB Matt Kupec too.

You really should read the News-Observers story on this RIGHT HERE

It sure appears that Tami Hansbrough got a job to be near her son...and it evolved into a relationship with Kupec and an opportunity for her to travel to Tyler's games. On the University's dime. She also managed to work in trips to son Ben's games at Notre Dame too. Again out of UNC's pocket.

For their part, the school insists this has nothing to do with any of the ongoing athletics academic fraud investigation. They say it had nothing to do with Sports...at all.

We say "Bull-poopie". UNC finally got caught. We aren't saying THIS investigation is part of a huge conspiracy, rather we say it's part of a culture of coddling and doing anything to help the athletes. That's right, a different set of rules for the Jocks.

The NCAA investigation continues and we think if they every get around to finishing it, North Carolina is in DEEP trouble. Whether Tami Hansbrough was hired to help coddle Tyler and so she could go to his games is only a small branch on a larger tree. It appears, at least on the surface, that the school was willing to do whatever it took to make the athletes happy. If it meant fixing grades, so be it. If it meant playing ineligible football players, that seemingly was OK too.

We'll wait, like everyone else and see how this unfolds, but if you are a fan of the team in Chapel Hill, you should be worried.

Very worried.