North Carolina Football: More Charges Against The Tar Heels & NCAA Inconsistency

Sep 8, 2012; Winston Salem, NC, USA A North Carolina Tar Heels helmet lays on the field during the warms ups before the start of the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at BB

WRAL in Raleigh, N.C. reports that a North Carolina Secretary of State investigation into sports agents connected to the North Carolina football scandal found cash payments to players, as well as a tutor.

Meanwhile, the NCAA clarified its stance on Fatheads. That stance? They’re bad, per John Infante of the NCAA Bylaw Blog.

“We saw the search warrants for the first time today and are reviewing them,” athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “It is not appropriate for anyone at the University to comment on the specifics of the Secretary of State¹s investigation of agent activity.”

The NCAA’s examination into violations at UNC lasted 16 months. A one-year bowl ban with the loss of 15 scholarships was the ultimate verdict then. Might these latest developments reopen the case on the NCAA’s end? Or is college athletics’ governing body preoccupied with Fatheads?

The penalties aren’t necessary light, though hardly match other verdicts rendered in recent cases. UNC finished 8-4 in 2012, Larry Fedora’s first season as Tar Heel head coach. Carolina would have participated in the ACC championship game had it been eligible, with a realistic shot at earning a BCS bowl berth. It held the tiebreaker over the Miami Hurricanes, which were also serving a bowl ban — albeit Miami’s was self-imposed.

Miami has opted to miss two postseasons now, the result of allegations that the NCAA has been investigating for almost two years. No clear resolution is yet in sight as the NCAA presses forward, despite badly mishandling the case. The Miami investigation has gone on for two years, surpassing the 16 months invested into the North Carolina case.

Fifteen is not an insignificant total of scholarships to lose, either. However, it’s half the total stripped from the USC Trojans, stemming from

Investigations into numerous violations at North Carolina resulted in the dismissal of Butch Davis, just prior to the 2011 season. Assistant coach John Blake received a show-cause penalty of three years after he was found to have connections with agent Gary Wichard, and was working as a middle man between Wichard and various prospects.

Davis has been unemployed the last two seasons, though could return to an NCAA sideline as he missed a show-cause penalty. Davis was a rumored candidate for the FIU vacancy in December.

The trail against Blake was long. Marcell Dareus told investigators Blake had referred him to Wichard while the former was with the Alabama Crimson Tide. Former Oklahoma Sooners Brian Bosworth and Stephen Alexander said Blake played a similar role them while working as an assistant in the 1980s.
Oct 13, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden (center) talks with defensive back Deon Bush (left) during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Blake’s very presence on staff was a gamble for Davis. Payments to players and an active member of the coaching staff working as an agency go-between would be sufficient grounds for stiff lack of institutional penalties, based on recent NCAA precedent.

Add to that academic fraud chargers similar to those that crippled the Georgia Bulldogs basketball program and has kept Jim Harrick out of college basketball for almost a decade, and North Carolina might seem like the perfect epicenter of an NCAA firestorm.

And yet, the penalties given last spring are relatively mild.

Therein lies a prominent argument against how the NCAA operates: inconsistency. The dreaded “lack of institutional control” charge carries weight when penalizing athletic departments…sometimes. Other times, it doesn’t. Even the definition is vague, thus leaving it to arbitrary interpretation.

North Carolina’s compliance with the NCAA could certainly have lessened the blow. USC was defiant to the bitter end in a ridiculously long investigation into Reggie Bush, and the Trojans were waylaid.

But Miami had worked to placate the NCAA prior to revelations of “missteps.” The answer may not be so clear as to kiss the NCAA’s proverbial ring. Without transparency, it’s almost impossible to gauge.

The university is on probation until 2015. But barring any changes, the Tar Heels are eligible for the ACC title in 2013 — assuming no players are offered Fatheads.