UNC Football: How did violations occur and how can they be prevented?

UNC football announced the suspension of 13 football players for parts of the 2018 season. Why do these violations occur and how can they be prevented?

The Violation

On Monday, August 6, the University of North Carolina announced the suspension of 13 football players for a repeated offense of a NCAA violation. These players include offensive lineman Brian Anderson, defensive end Malik Carney, wide receiver Beau Corrales, defensive end Tomon Fox, defensive end Tyrone Hopper, offensive lineman Quiron Johnson, linebacker Malik Robinson,  quarterback Chazz Surratt, and offensive lineman Jordan Tucker lasting four games.

Defensive backs Greg Ross and Tre Shaw have been suspended for two games. And quarterback Jack Davidson and offensive lineman Jonah Melton have been suspended for one game.

Since there are multiple players who are being suspended and play the same position, the NCAA is allowing UNC to offset some of the suspensions in order to not completely ruin the team’s potential to compete. Most notably, quarterbacks Chazz Surratt and Jack Davidson will sit out different games.

The incident was self-reported by the university to the NCAA. Furthermore, it is reported that this is a secondary violation by the players. The violation involves the sale of team-issued gear. Specifically, the players were selling Air Jordan sneakers for upwards of $2,500.

The Temptation

So how do we keep seeing these violations where players are accused of selling team memorabilia? Well not to get into the details of whether NCAA players should or should not get paid, but frankly, players are given more gear than they know what to do with. Even at smaller Division 1 schools, players are given six to 10 pairs of shorts, three or four pairs of shoes, three pairs of cleats, two sets of clothes to relax and lounge in, and much more, just at the beginning of fall camp. And this gear comes multiple times a year.

So when your team is sponsored by Air Jordan, and you’re in your third year with the team, you simply do not need another pair of sneakers. Therefore, when you want some extra cash, for any of the many reasons young men want more money, selling a few pairs of shoes is a very reasonable temptation. Now you ask, what can we do to prevent this from happening?

The Solution

It starts with the head coach. As I’ve said before, the role of the head coach is not just to win games. It very much is focused on winning games, but it is so much more. The head coach’s job is to lead these young men, teach and mentor them, so that they make the right decisions and keep their teams clear of scandal. As if UNC didn’t need all the help it could get to compete this year in the ACC, there chances are now essentially zero.

In the past, the administration at UNC has understood the importance of the head coaching role. In 2011, when the university was under investigation for severe academic violations, one of the first decisions made was to fire former coach, Butch Davis.

Current UNC head coach, Larry Fedora, probably is not in danger in losing his job because the incident was self-reported and slightly different in nature. However, we do see coaches like Urban Meyer in danger for his responsibility in the current Ohio State scandal. Moral of the story: The head coach is responsible for all things within their football program.