Investigation: UNC Has Paper Classes That Are Paper Tigers

((HT: ABC11 Raleigh))

The HQ saw them and took part in them in our college days...

There was always the class that was an easy, athlete class that was supposed to be an easy "A."

For us it was things like Family and Child Development, Geology, Theatre, and Freshman-level Public Speaking in our senior year. We know of athletes that took correspondence classes to stay eligible. So, the idea that there is steering of athletes to easier classes to maintain their eligibility isn't all that new...

But the scope of what happened at the University of North Carolina might be the issue this time around. In the wake of the African-American Families major that was attached to a lot of Tarheels athletes and the idea that they were (gasp) given preferential treatment in those classes was the subject of an investigation that went back 18 years on campus.

What the former federal prosecutor Kenneth Wainstein found was just "a lot..."


Here's the full report should you want to read it

Former department chairman Julius Nyang'oro and former student services manager Deborah Crowder were at the center of the investigation and, as the math tells, almost 48-percent of the students in the AFAM-major classes were athletes in the 18-year period.

Employees at UNC-CH were disciplined as a result of the investigation and, apparently, AD Dick Baddour and then-head football coach Butch Davis were aware of AFAM. Baddour allegedly didn't pry and Davis denied knowing of the steering.

The HQ thinks this is far from over in the long-term...

No, Butch Davis is not the New Coach at FIU--Today (UPDATED)

Interesting reports circulating out of Miami that banished former UNC football coach Butch Davis will be the new head coach at Florida International University.

The Miami Herald's David O'Neal posted a story saying there may or may not be an announcement next week.

You can read that RIGHT HERE

But, if you read it closely, in the next paragraph, he begins to back track on that statement.

And, in the "Next" blog post, says that he spoke with FIU AD Pete Garcia who says the rumors are totally false.

And yet the rumors are flying all over the Interwebs. Most are saying that the report was never true.

But...

Remember THIS story from just three weeks ago

Yes, Davis could be resurfacing. But if so, it's being handled as awkwardly....as well, Garcia's firing of now former head coach Mario Cristobal.

In the meantime, Davis continues getting paid from North Carolina and if he were to take said job at FIU, the Golden Panthers would then be on the hook for the UNC money. And as much as Garcia needs a new coach, we suspect he does not quite have the budget for that.

But...

We would not be surprised in the least to see this happen. FIU is one of the few jobs left open on the carousel and there don't seem to be a lot of takers. Stay tuned campers, this story probably has more to go.

12/28 UPDATE: From Alex Marvez at Fox Sports...

The dispute centers on almost $1.8 million that Davis is owed from the settlement he signed upon his dismissal as UNC’s head coach in July 2011. The source said that UNC doesn’t want to pay the money if Davis accepts another coaching position, which is a stumbling block that also complicated his hiring earlier this year by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

FIU is set to sign Davis to a multiyear contract averaging roughly $500,000 a season, the source said.

Well, now we know...

Could Butch Davis resurface at Florida International?

((ht: sun-sentinel.com))

Hmmm. This could be interesting. Reports say that Butch Davis may be the next head coach at Florida International University.

And yes, we know, we said we wouldn't do "Stories" about "Rumored" candidates for college football jobs. But this struck us as a bit of a surprise considering Jones's track record.

He would replace the departed Mario Cristobal, who just one year after being a "Hot" coaching candidate, finds himself unemployed after a 3-9 season.

Davis would be a somewhat controversial hire, but does apparently have ties to the schools athletic director Pete Garcia.

Check out the full story from the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel RIGHT HERE

You'll recall Davis left a huge academic and athletic scandal in his wake after 4-years as the coach at North Carolina. He did win 28 games in those four years and is considered a pretty good coach. We might add that though he was not implicated in the NCAA investigation...or at least he hasn't been...yet.

He will not be subject to the NCAA show-cause penalty unless he is.

Davis currently works as a "Sepcial" defensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also had a stint coaching at the University of Miami and is somewhat familiar with the area.

Butch Davis Understands...He Really Does...

((HT: WRALSportsfan.com))

So, we now know what Butch Davis is up to...

He is keeping up his end of the bargain with the University of North Carolina as a "consultant" with the Tamps Bay Bucs and their new head coach Greg Schiano...

That way, he keeps up with his buy-out clause and everything is cool...

He understands why the university made him the fall guy (his words) in the situation that had academic fraud and coaching improprieties that led to Davis being fired a week before the football season started in 2011.

The larger question was: "How could you NOT know what's going on, dude...?"

His answer from the interview:

“It's a question that I've asked and thought about a lot over the last several months. What I would tell you is I think that we knew, we worked extraordinarily hard to know a lot of things,” Davis said. “There were things that would happen with athletes that we would find out immediately. (And) yes, take care of it.”

Up until the firing, NC AD Dick Baddour was supportive of Davis, publicly, and Davis admits that problems even preceded him by two years that he felt compelled to take care of... by his numbers, Davis dismissed 18 players in his early days.

Davis also discusses the Jennifer Wiley situation and the impermissable benefits that were apparently given by her during the time she was a tutor- a situation created, according to Davis, by the school in a letter his wife received.

Here is the Jeff Gravely interview in its entirety...

It's good stuff and we commend Gravely for his get...

UNC Athletes Take Class That Has No Instructor

((HT: Raleigh News and Observer/Kane, Carter))

Not that this is a surprise in light of the whole Tarheels NCAA investigation that ended up decimating the football team and coaching staff...

BUT...

Kane and Carter have discovered that the "AFAM 280: Blacks in North Carolina" class was attended by 19 students- 18 of them players on the football team, the other a former player. Advisers helped the players enroll in the class, which is the subject of a criminal investigation.

The advisers also knew that there would be no instruction and the class itself ws added just days before the 2011 summer session.

So, this begs the HQ's question of: "Who knew what when and how far does the knowledge go in this case...?" The HQ would surmise pretty far up, and the end result of the investigation will be interesting...

54 UNC classes are in question over the full four years of the school investigation and center around the head of the department.

Here's the early word on the investigation in the Afro-American Studies Department before it involved the current enrollment involving football players...
((HT: WRAL-TV))


And here as well...

Butch Davis posts YouTube PSA to defend himself

Butch Davis

((ht: CoachDavis15))

Well, this is kind of odd.

It seems former North Carolina football head coach Butch Davis has decided to take to the airways and papers to defend his legacy in Chapel Hill.

Davis lost his job after the school came under intense NCAA scrutiny for a number of issues including suspended players, an assistant coach (John Blake) who was accused of being a front man for an agent and tutoring/academic issues by the team.

He harped...at length about his accomplishments at Miami...but didn't talk much about the specific issues that plagued him at UNC. We also found the section where Davis speaks about Blake is heavily edited and Davis claims no knowledge of Blake's friendship with agent Gary Wichard.

Oh, he apparently did an Op-Ed for the Raleigh News-Observer too. You can read it RIGHT HERE

He seems to feel obligated to excuse the traffic ticket problems and other issues only saying maybe he should have known and they were dealt with once they were brought to his attention.

Davis is choosing this forum to defend what he feels is his honor. And no, we understand his point that he was never accused/charged with any of these issues. We don't know if this is his way of trying to let people know he is unemployed and looking for work. Either way, it is an odd way to do it.

If you have 9 minutes of your day to spend watching this, here ya go:

UNC AD Dick Baddour Stepping Down

At the morning press conference explaining the firing of head football coach Butch Davis a week before practice begins, Dick Baddour has asked Chancellor Holden Thorp to start a search for a successor.

The words Baddour used are "as soon as possible" serving out his contract, but will assume duties other than Athletic Director when a successor is named. Baddour wants to have the new AD start a seamless transition for the recruiting process with a new head football coach...

Interviews are this afternoon for the interim head football coach, but sources are telling OSG Sports that the Offensive Coordinator has the inside track for the sake of the athletes on the roster...

Here's coverage from our friends at WRAL-TV and wralsportsfan.com

Butch Davis Had To Go

On Monday at the ACC Football Kickoff in Pinehurst, N.C. Butch Davis was answering questions about the past year and a half and accepting the responsibility. It all happened under his watch.

I had a chance to discuss this with Davis Monday and while the 2010 season was the most brutal in his coaching career he admitted that season turned into his most gratifying.

All that is water under the bridge. UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp and the UNC Board of Trustees decided it was time to cut bait and fired Davis Wednesday.

What the powers that be at UNC-Chapel Hill came to the conclusion that the Universities reputation was at stake after taking a major hit during the John Blake affair and tutor-gate and that bad smell would linger if Butch Davis were to remain in charge, so now he's gone.

The general consensus is that Davis may have coached this season but may not have survived following the conclusion of the NCAA investigation.

Keep in mind Butch Davis has never been directly linked to any of the inpropriorties listed in the NCAA report.

All a major university with a high academic standing has to sell to potential students and would be donors is it's reputation and UNC had to rebuild that.

And that meant firing Butch Davis.

North Carolina wanted to get serious about football. For the foreseeable future the Tar Heel football program will face series challenges.

Here's reaction from UNC and Butch Davis. (Thanks WRAL-TV)



Here's team coverage of Butch Davis' firing from WRAL-TV.

Coaching Change In Chapel Hill, Butch Davis Has Been Fired

Butch Davis won't have to wear North Carolina blue anymore, Davis has been fired.

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp announced that Butch Davis has been fired as the Tar Heels head coach.

"To restore confidence in the University of North Carolina and our football program, it's time to make a change," Chancellor Thorp said in a statement released by UNC's athletic communications office. "What started as a purely athletic issue has begun to chip away at this University's reputation. I have been deliberate in my approach to understanding this situation fully, and I have worked to be fair to everyone involved. However, I have lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution. Our academic integrity is paramount and we must work diligently to protect it. The only way to move forward and put this behind us is to make a change."

Davis told OSG Monday that he's had the full support of the University and the administration and last season while painful was one of his most gratifying.

No interim head coach has been announced. Chancellor Thorp and UNC athletic director Dick Baddour will hold a news conference at 11:00am Thursday.

Camp begins in eight days.

Those of us at the OSG HQ wants to know why Butch Davis attended ACC Football Kickoff when he is fired two days later.