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Hall of Famer [22965]
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"What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 1, 2015, 9:21 PM
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(from the Raleigh News & Observer)
June 1, 2015 What UNC must do: Fire Williams, remove banners, forfeit wins
By Patrick O’Neill
More important than whatever action the NCAA takes against the University of North Carolina for what is perhaps the worst athletics-academic scandal in collegiate history is what the UNC administration will do to reel in its corrupt athletic department and its aiders and abettors.
The NCAA is between a rock and a hard place because it badly needs North Carolina athletics to be vibrant and healthy. A few years of severe sanctions against UNC means a potentially huge revenue loss for the NCAA, from both television rights and post-season play. Before these revelations of extreme cheating, Carolina had a squeaky-clean reputation, due in large part to the integrity of late basketball coach Dean Smith. That’s all over now. The UNC athletic department will likely never again enjoy such a lofty status in collegiate sports.
On the other hand, UNC, as the state’s flagship institution of higher learning, should see the reputation of its university and the integrity of its academics as pre-eminent and thus institute dramatic and historic reforms. Up until now, the UNC administration has maintained a laissez-faire attitude toward the athletic department. “Trust us,” was their cry. “We pay our own way, and we follow the rules.” This relationship provided the athletic department reckless freedom to self-destruct.
Once I told former UNC athletic director John Swofford I wanted to write a story that, in part, looked into athletic department finances. Swofford placed his hand on my shoulder and said: “Now, Patrick, why would you want to write about a thing like that?”
So went my journey at The Chapel Hill Newspaper as I reported on stories that looked into how the UNC athletics department spent its money. Despite North Carolina’s status as a state-funded public institution, getting financial information from the athletic department was never easy. Then-UNC attorney, Susan H. Ehringhaus, would usually help the AD’s office erect road blocks, and it often required the help of N.C. Press Association lawyers to get UNC to provide the information to which the newspaper and the public were entitled. Now that UNC’s house of cards has crumbled, damage control has been carried out, but with all the wrong emphases. The messengers have been killed (Rashad McCants and Mary Willingham), the news media have been bashed, basketball coach Roy Williams has been “dumbfounded.” Swofford recalls nothing. Some sacrificial lambs have moved on (#### Baddour and Jan Boxill). And Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge are gone.
Now what? As much as it will hurt in the short term, UNC has to give Williams his walking papers. Williams, who likes to flippantly refer to the scandal as all that “junk going on,” is a big part of the problem. Despite his status as the state’s highest-paid employee, Williams did not do his job. At best, he is an incompetent administrator who failed to maintain control over the handful of athletes he was supposed to monitor. At worst, he knew all about the cheating and took a see-no-evil-Joe-Paterno approach, hoping his immorality would go undiscovered.
UNC should also take down Williams’ now-tainted 2005 and 2009 NCAA Championship banners from the Smith Center rafters. These titles were won by cheating, plain and simple. Carolina must own up to its ill-gotten titles and voluntarily disown them. Additionally, all UNC victories for any years in which ineligible players were used should be vacated. Williams – and UNC basketball – should have those wins wiped from records. The Carolina football program, and any other nonrevenue teams that used ineligible players, should face the same fate.
The UNC administration must implement a two-tiered system of control over its athletic department, meaning its athletic director must answer to a dean whose job will be to maintain a hands-on, day-to-day connection between the “real” university and athletics. UNC should also implement a dual system of economic regulation in which the athletic department does not maintain unfettered control of its finances. It’s time to implement a system of checks and balances between the university and its wayward athletics department.
It’s time for honest leadership to prevail in Chapel Hill. The time of reckoning has come for UNC athletics, and the NCAA may not be the agency to provide the incentive that leads Carolina back on the road to integrity. The university must take steps to steady the ship and steer it back to the “Carolina Way.”
Patrick O’Neill of Garner is a former sports and news reporter with The Chapel Hill News, formerly known as The Chapel Hill Newspaper
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article22823382.html#storylink=cpy
Message was edited by: tigrjm76®
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CU Guru [1052]
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GREAT article
Jun 1, 2015, 9:26 PM
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Agree with everything.
The clean-up starts with firing Roy Williams.
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CU Medallion [68168]
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Re: GREAT article
Jun 1, 2015, 10:03 PM
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And fire swofford. Started when he was ad
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110%er [7831]
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Re: "What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 1, 2015, 9:28 PM
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The death penalty would be too light a sentence. IMHO
THey should also have to give the money for those wins back to the conference. To be divided equally amongst the other members
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All-TigerNet [14507]
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Re: "What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 1, 2015, 9:30 PM
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unless they hit them with severe scholarship reductions they may as well just tell everyone they can do whatever they want to win.
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Starter [366]
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Re: "What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 1, 2015, 9:43 PM
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I bet that's not the first time Ole swoffy has put his hands on a man's shoulder.
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Commissioner [908]
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NCAA won't do anything, and unc will never be honest***
Jun 1, 2015, 9:59 PM
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All-TigerNet [10572]
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Not even tarred heel tiger believes that
Jun 1, 2015, 10:04 PM
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There is zero way they escape this
Zero
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Orange Blooded [4978]
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Re: Not even tarred heel tiger believes that
Jun 1, 2015, 10:16 PM
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I just don't believe the NCAA infractions people have the cajones to give UNC what they deserve. I think everyone that's not a fan or alum of that school is going to be highly disappointed in the lack of sanctions they will get. I wish it weren't so but I just think their giong to get a slap on the hand.
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CU Medallion [64621]
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If the NCAA fails to impose some pretty serious penalties...
Jun 2, 2015, 8:15 AM
[ in reply to Not even tarred heel tiger believes that ] |
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they are sending a clear message that cheating (the worst academic scandal in history) is a gamble that is absolutely worth taking.
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Orange Blooded [2683]
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Only if you're one of the schools that are "too big to fail"
Jun 2, 2015, 9:32 AM
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The article pretty clearly states that the NCAA can't afford to punish one of its most lucrative franchises too harshly. So any penalties need to be self-imposed.
I'd be very surprised to see UNC let Roy Williams go over this, but who knows maybe it will happen. And maybe we can get a basketball win in Chapel Hill before I die!
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Rock Defender [58]
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Re: Only if you're one of the schools that are "too big to fail"
Jun 2, 2015, 9:43 AM
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If UNC is not punished severely , it sends a clear signal that it's okay to cheat. Southern Cal should demand their titles back. The ACC owes us an apology in writing for tacking on one more year to our probation. SMU should demand the death penalty on UNC.
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All-In [26618]
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Sounds to me like this guy wants Roy to fall on the sword
Jun 1, 2015, 9:59 PM
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to protect the "Dean Smith Legacy" ... everyone inside and outside of Chapel Hole knows the cheating began under Dean's watch. Probably earlier than most care to remember.
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110%er [7831]
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Re: Sounds to me like this guy wants Roy to fall on the sword
Jun 2, 2015, 11:05 AM
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Two. Cheating in Chapel Hill has been going on for 50 years, maybe more
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Head Coach [768]
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The quote from Swofford makes me want to puke***
Jun 1, 2015, 10:14 PM
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Legend [17791]
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Yep agreed. the hammer.....its coming***
Jun 2, 2015, 7:16 AM
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CU Guru [1826]
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Question about "vacating wins"
Jun 2, 2015, 8:03 AM
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I have never understood, if one team, like PSU did and UNC may, vacates wins, why do the other institutions they played now not get to count those games as a win? If Paterno has fewer wins then shouldn't some other coaches have more wins now?
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Rock Defender [54]
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Re: "What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 2, 2015, 8:07 AM
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If swofford is not removed, then I doubt that UNC feels any punishment at all. This will all just vanish someday, and uncheat will continue their a-hole ways. We need swofford gone and the death penalty for UNC. Oh yeah - the ACC should throw in an extra year of punishment for them.
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CU Medallion [64621]
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I'm not convinced the NCAA is going to do anything, and ....
Jun 2, 2015, 8:07 AM
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it's even less likely that Swofford, Roy Williams and UNCheat will ever admit any wrongdoing let alone take down championship banners and vacate wins.
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Legend [17791]
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They dont have to admit anything. The proof dont lie***
Jun 2, 2015, 9:06 AM
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CU Medallion [64621]
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The point is....
Jun 2, 2015, 9:16 AM
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the writer suggested that Roy Williams and UNCheat come clean and admit there was wrongdoing and voluntarily take down championship banners and vacate wins; something that is never going to happen IMO. The ONLY WAY UNCheat will ever take down championship banners and vacate wins is if the NCAA mandates it.
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All-American [590]
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Re: I'm not convinced the NCAA is going to do anything, and ....
Jun 2, 2015, 12:13 PM
[ in reply to I'm not convinced the NCAA is going to do anything, and .... ] |
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You get what you ask for when you name a member schools AD as commish. All these articles do is further frustrate me and probably every one else. As far as NCAA is concerned they will do nothing but say not under their purview.
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Orange Blooded [3463]
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Re: "What UNC Must Do...:" (c/p)
Jun 2, 2015, 11:39 AM
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The NCAA has no more relevance than a bag of dog sh*&.
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Legend [16171]
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I would be curious what resident unCHEAT apologist
Jun 2, 2015, 12:51 PM
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tarheeledtigerEnthusiast [139] Joined 2 years ago Posts: 760 TigerPulse: 35% has to say about it, especially since Swofford got a mention for his involvement
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Replies: 23
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