UNC academic fiasco now includes spotty transcripts, outgoing chancellor

Former UNC player Marvin Austin says he was paid by agent named Terry Watson

Austin was one of several Tar Heels to receive impermissible benefits while in college, which ultimately got the UNC program put on probation.

The first-ever funny Wikipedia vandalism joke

"HAW HAW SOMEBODY'S ALREADY FIDDLED WITH THE WIKI" is the worst Internet joke to emerge from pretty much anything, but cheers to you, whichever N.C. State fan did this.

UNC athlete academic standards will rise, says outgoing chancellor

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp says that his school will introduce a new standard for student athletes in the spring, one that will possibly surpass current NCAA regulations for student athletes.

Thorp says the school will be "ahead of the curve" after revealing its new regulations for student-athletes. "Academics are going to have to come first," Thorp said. "And it’s clear that they haven’t to the extent that they should."

Thorp has been in charge for the academics scandal that saw Butch Davis fired and left the football team on probation. The school has hired an auditing firm to look into the apparent academic mishandling of the football team, although the school has already undergone an internal probe revealing problems.

Thorp elaborated that he believed the school's new standards would not prevent the team from succeeding;

"I do expect that to evolve and obviously evolve in a way that allows us to recruit people who can succeed in the classroom and on the field as well. We will be enrolling a greater percentage of students that are above whatever lines we’ve had in the past."

Thorp will resign as chancellor effective June 30th, 2013.

UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp Stepping Down Amid Academic Scandal

Chancellor Holden Thorp has decided to step down from his position at the University of North Carolina in June 2013, according to a release from the school. UNC has been under scrutiny for academic violations in relation to the football program and a summer school course that a number of football players were enrolled in without an instructor.

In the university's statement, Thorp was quoted saying:

"I will always do what is best for this university. This wasn't an easy decision personally. But when I thought about the university and how important it's been to me, to North Carolinians and to hundreds of thousands of alumni, my answer became clear.

"Over the last two years, we have identified a number of areas that need improvement," Thorp said. "We have a good start on reforms that are important for the future of this university. I have pledged that we will be a better university, and I am 100 percent confident in that. We still have work to do, and I intend to be fully engaged in that until the day I walk out of this office."

The resignation will take effect on June 30, 2013 when the academic year ends.

For more information on the North Carolina Tarheels, check out the SB Nation Blog Carolina March. For more news and information on college football, check out SB Nation's Official College Football Hub Page.

NCAA On North Carolina: 'No Rules Appear To Have Been Broken'

The NCAA has ruled that North Carolina did not commit any academic violations in regards to enrollment in African and Afro-American Studies courses.

UNC Academic Scandal: Butch Davis's Phone Records Coming Out

A superior court judge ordered former North Carolina football coach Butch Davis to surrender cell phone bills on Wednesday as controversy continues over improper benefits and alleged academic improprieties at UNC. According to Sports Illustrated, media organizations including the Associated Press have asked for those bills to be released as public records for over a year. Judge Howard E. Manning Jr. gave Davis 30 days to release the bills, which include calls made by Davis as part of his official duties as head coach.

"University officials and coaches may not use their personal cellphones to `dodge' or evade the North Carolina Public Records law and may not avoid public scrutiny of their cellphone records by using their personal cellphones to conduct public business,'' Manning said in his order.

Last week, UNC officials announced the launch of an internal investigation into possible academic violations involving athletes. According to ESPN, former North Carolina governor James G. Martin will lead the investigation. Charges of academic impropriety come on the heels of an NCAA-imposed bowl ban and scholarship reduction for the football team for improper benefits given to players.

For more on UNC football, be sure to check out Carolina March and SB Nation's college football page.

Julius Peppers Issues Statement On Leaked UNC Transcripts

After being thrown headfirst into the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's academic scandal, Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers released a statement dismissing any claims that link him to the case.

The school's website posted parts of his college transcript but have since taken them down. It did a fair amount of damage and Peppers felt it was time he said something.

Here is part of his statement, published in the Chicago Tribune:

"This statement is in response to false allegations regarding my connection to an academic scandal within the University of North Carolina athletic and African-American studies departments. This week has been an upsetting and challenging week for me, as one of my most private academic documents appeared on the university's website for public examination. I'm terribly disappointed in the fact that my privacy has been violated, as well as frustrated with whoever negligently and carelessly committed such a flagrant error."

Peppers further states how he viewed his time at UNC and his academic studies while a student there. It is clear that he does not feel he deserved to be mentioned among those associated with the scandal.

For more on UNC football, be sure to check out Carolina March and SB Nation's college football page.

The UNC Scandal And One Big Excuse To Be Outraged Again

UNC athletics is under fire again, this time for allegations of academic impropriety that may stretch back for more than a decade. If the NCAA finds proof, the Heels should be punished. But let's not get too hysterical about all this.

UNC Looking Into Publication Of Julius Peppers' Transcript

The academic scandal at North Carolina isn't breaking news, but the depth of its reach is: the school is now investigating how the transcript of former football and basketball player Julius Peppers, who left the Tar Heels in 2002 for the NFL's Charlotte Panthers, ended up on their web site Sunday.

In a statement, the school says it has removed the link and that it wouldn't discuss confidential student information covered by federal privacy laws. The school didn't confirm the authenticity of the transcript, which lists Peppers' name at the top.

What's noticeable is that Peppers received high grades - some of his best at UNC - in classes in the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. That's the same department found to have awarded fraudulent grades to student athletes between 2007-'11.

Obviously Peppers' tenure at UNC fell well before the timeframe of that investigation, meaning that a whole new set of questions could arise.

For more on UNC football, be sure to check out Carolina March and SB Nation's college football page.

Julius Peppers Was Bad At School, And Just How Old Is UNC's Academic Scandal?

UNC Athletes Were Reportedly Directed Into Questionable Classes

A report by a special subcommittee at the University of North Carolina determined that North Carolina Tar Heels athletes were guided into questionable classes in the African and Afro-American Studies department by academic advisers.

In a report released Thursday, a faculty subcommittee at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that Tar Heel athletes told interviewers that they were directed to classes in the African and Afro-American Studies Department by staffers in the Academic Support Program for Student Athletes.

The African and Afro-American Studies Department has come under question recently with a report that former football players took an un-instructed summer class. The class was taught by Julius Nyang'oro, who was also the chairman of the African and Afro-American Studies Department. Nyang'oro retired on July 1 as a result of the investigation.

UNC is currently on probation and will serve a one-year bowl ban this season for previous academic infractions.

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

UNC Football: Hakeem Nicks Was Ineligible In 2008, According To Report

The only role former North Carolina star receiver Hakeem Nicks has played in the years-long Heels academic scandal has been that of an alleged enabler, not a partaker. He passed along around $3,000 worth of benefits to younger players, according to UNC, and we haven't really heard from him since.

Until this News & Observer report that alleges, "NCAA documents show that Nicks received improper academic help in the spring of 2008 from a tutor implicated in the NCAA scandal at UNC."

This doesn't appear to mean new NCAA trouble, but rather a revelation of yet another item the public is just now finding out about.

His agent predictably downplayed the item to the paper, and Nicks' various school records will still stand, albeit with asterisks next to 2008. He holds the career receiving yardage, single-season receiving yardage and career receiving touchdowns marks for the Tar Heels.

Follow @SBNationCFB

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

Yep, Butch Davis Wants To Coach Again

UNC Academic Scandal: Records Reveal More No-Show Classes

This is the scandal that never ends, it just goes on and on my friends. After the North Carolina Tar Heels football program was punished for various NCAA violations in March, new reports emerged last month that a number of football players enrolled in a class that had no instruction in the summer of 2011. This was probably not an isolated incident.

According to a report at the Charlotte News & Observer, multiple athletes were enrolled in courses that were listed as one-student courses during summers prior to 2011. There's a lot of evidence that more than one student was enrolled in a lot of these one-student classes, and that they were usually athletes. There's also a lot of evidence that no one taught the classes and that no instruction was offered. One now-retired professor, Julius Nyang'oro, was responsible for 38 suspect summer classes over five summers, 26 listed as one-student classes. He was not paid for 29 of them, which is atypical because summer classes are usually considered to be outside of professors' normal work years.

This investigation and scandal is going to get worse before it gets better. The News & Observer found 12 classes from between 1999 and 2001 that had a maximum capacity of one student and no classroom time listed. The University is investigating the suspect classes, and it is looking increasingly likely that the 2011 summer class was not an isolated incident.

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

UNC Football Players Took Questionable Summer Class

During the summer of 2011, 18 UNC football players enrolled in a class that is now part of an academic fraud investigation, according to a report from The News & Observer.

University records show the 18 players enrolled in AFAM 280, a class, which had no instruction. The athletes were guided into the class by academic advisers who knew there would be no instruction. The class is part of an academic fraud investigation which includes 54 classes with little or no instruction, the report says.

AFAM 280 was taught by Julius Nyang'oro, who also taught 45 of the 54 classes under inspection. Nyang'oro, who is chairman of the African and Afro-American Studies Department, is retiring on July 1 as a result of the investigation. UNC contacted the NCAA after learning of the summer class, and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said the department will "continue to work to ensure that it doesn't happen going forward."

UNC is currently on probation and will serve a one-year bowl ban this season for previous academic infractions.

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

VIDEO: Does North Carolina's Punishment Fit The Crime?

NCAA Punishes Team, Player On Team Promises Vengeance

NCAA Bans UNC Football From Bowl, Docks 15 Scholarships

The North Carolina Tar Heels have finally learned what the NCAA thinks of those self-imposed penalties in the wake of the great Heelgate* scandal. In a release, the NCAA announced it will tack on a year of probation to the two UNC had recommended, prevent the Heels from playing in a bowl game or the ACC Championship in 2012 and add to UNC's scholarships reduction.

The complete list of penalties, including both the NCAA's and UNC's:

The penalties in this case include:

1. Public reprimand and censure.
2. Three years of probation from March 12, 2012, through March 11, 2015.
3. Three-year show-cause penalty for the former assistant football coach prohibiting any recruiting activity. The public report contains further details.
4. Postseason ban for the 2012 football season.
5. Reduction of football scholarships by a total of 15 during three academic years. The public report includes further details.
6. Vacation of wins during the 2008 and 2009 seasons (self-imposed by the university). The public report includes further details.
7. $50,000 fine (self-imposed by the university).

Thus, a story nearly two years in the making has essentially ended. A one-year bowl ban isn't a big deal at all, and USC, Ohio State and others have provided helpful road maps on how to recruit around scholarship reductions.

Former assistant John Blake also suffered a three-year show-cause penalty for his role, meaning his coaching days are pretty much done.

Follow @SBNationCFB

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

UNC Football's NCAA Infractions To Be Announced Monday Afternoon

Hey, remember the great North Carolina Tar Heels scandal that's still not quite over yet? That's right! It's not quite over yet. The NCAA will announce Monday at 3 p.m. ET just what UNC football is in for, due to that investigation that began almost two years ago, thanks in part to Marvin Austin's digital oversharing.

UNC has already self-imposed multiple penalties, in addition to firing then-coach Butch Davis and replacing its athletic director. The Heels have vacated their 2008 and 2009 wins, put themselves on two years of probation and docked scholarships through 2014. Whether that will appease the NCAA remains to be seen, but it's quite a bit more than Ohio State saw fit to punish itself with.

Last summer, the NCAA announced multiple ineligible athletes played multiple seasons for North Carolina. The list of breaches included just about everything a college program can be busted for, from academic fraud to illegal benefits, and reading off the list of NCAA bylaws allegedly broken feels sort of like reading computer code of some sort.

We'll wait and see how hard the hammer falls.

Follow @SBNationCFB

For more on UNC football, visit North Carolina blog Carolina March.

VIDEO: Butch Davis Takes To YouTube Four Months Too Late

Bubba Cunningham Hired As New North Carolina Athletic Director

The North Carolina Tar Heels have made official the successor of outgoing athletic director Dick Baddour, with the school's Board of Trustees voting to hire Tulsa's Bubba Cunningham. His contract will begin Nov. 14 at $525,000 per year plus bonuses and run through 2017.

Cunningham spent six years at Tulsa after leaving Ball State. Under his watch, the Golden Hurricanes transitioned from the WAC to Conference USA. He also probably never saw his football program run afoul of like the entire NCAA rule book all at once, which helped him win favor in Chapel Hill. I'm guessing on that last part.

He'll have a fine little mess to clean up on the football side, but he'll also oversee one of the country's biggest basketball programs and have a strong academic heritage to uphold. Don't be astounded to see Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris' name emerge as a potential UNC football coaching candidate ... Tulsa connections abound.

For more, visit UNC blog Carolina March.

UNC Set To Hire Tulsa AD Bubba Cunningham, According To Report

Trustees for the University of North Carolina will meet on Friday to approve the hiring of current Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham as UNC's next AD, according to sources.

If and when he is approved, Cunningham would replace Dick Baddour, who is stepping down after 14 years amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program. According to Chancellor Holden Thorp, Baddour would remain on at least until the school's appearance before the NCAA infractions committee on Oct. 28.

Since arriving in Tulsa in 2005, Cunningham has overseen a Golden Hurricane athletics program that has won 34 Conference USA championships and a successful football program. The school has made millions in renovations and construction on new athletics complexes on his watch.

Cunningham is a Notre Dame graduate with a master's degree in business administration. He spent 15 years working in various roles at Notre Dame before a stint as athletic director at Ball State.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March.

UNC Football Vacates Multiple Seasons, Self-Imposes Probation

The North Carolina Tar Heels announced Monday they're punishing themselves for the sprawling, complicated scandal that infested their football program and was completely forgotten about once the Miami Hurricanes rolled up their sleeves and went to work. Still, UNC did a lot of stuff the NCAA hates, if you don't recall.

To the details. The Heels have self-imposed vacations of the 2008 and 2009 seasons; docked themselves three scholarships for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons; given themselves two years of probation; and plan to pay a $50,000 fine.

Wait and see whether the NCAA is satisfied with those setbacks or decides to tack on more. (NOTE: Tacks insufficient; NCAA loading staple gun. UNC's proposed punishment platter is similar to what Boise State got for improper sleeping arrangements.)

As the Sporting News' Matt Hayes notes, UNC made sure to tie the scandal to former coach Butch Davis, mentioning him four times despite his name not appearing in the NCAA's letter of investigation. Following the Ohio State model is the new move.

Here's athletic director Dick Baddour:

I believe the report is a very thorough response to the NCAA. The University of North Carolina takes our standing and reputation in the NCAA community seriously and with great respect and our response to the allegations reflects that. We accept responsibility for mistakes that were made in terms that are balanced, measured and fair. I want to acknowledge the hard work that University and athletic department staff put in to prepare the report. The October 28th appearance in Indianapolis is the next major step and we will direct our efforts toward preparing for that hearing.    

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March. For more college football, join SB Nation's NCAA football hub.

UNC Investigation: NCAA Visited Chapel Hill Wednesday For Follow-up

It's the investigation that never ends! The NCAA is now 15 months into an investigation into impermissible benefits and academic fraud within the North Carolina Tar Heels football program, and that investigation is still ongoing. The NCAA reportedly returned to Chapel Hill on Wednesday to conduct some follow-up work on their investigation of the football program. Of course, because smoke and mirrors is the NCAA's specialty, they refused to comment on the nature of the visit.

This investigation caused a number of star players to be suspended, including now-Cleveland Browns wide receiver Greg Little, who was ruled permanently ineligible. Head Coach Butch Davis was fired over the scandal, while Athletic Director Dick Baddour resigned from his position. It's been revealed previously that ineligible athletes played entire seasons, so it's unlikely that whatever investigators were doing in Chapel Hill on Wednesday is going to turn out positive for the Tar Heels.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March. For more college football, join SB Nation's NCAA football hub.

And The UNC Scandal Enters The Cannibalism Stage

Holden Thorp Commits Secondary Violation, UNC Self-Reports To NCAA

It would just figure that UNC would somehow figure out a way to commit an NCAA violation while discussing why Butch Davis was fired. That's exactly what North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp did on Thursday when telling the media about Davis' final parting gift: Offering a scholarship to his son, Drew Davis. Mentioning an unsigned recruit by name, which Thorp did, is an NCAA no-no, and has to be reported as a violation.

While many speculated Thorp may have broken the rules, the news was confirmed on Friday afternoon.

Holden Thorp committed secondary NCAA violation discussing Drew Davis scholly offer. School has self-reported.

At this point, the whole situation is a bungled mess. While Thorp's secondary violation shouldn't net UNC anything more than a slap on the wrist and "don't do it again" from the NCAA, it just looks bad amidst the rest of the storm in Chapel Hill.

For more on the Tar Heels, check out Carolina March

On Tobacco Road, The Party Never Ends

Butch Davis' Final Act As UNC Coach Was Offering A Scholarship To His Son

Disgraced former Tar Heel head coach Butch Davis gave university chancellor Holden Thorp and AD Dick Baddour one final parting gift — a scholarship offer to his son, Drew, an unranked, dual-threat quarterback at East Chapel Hill High School.

Charlotte Observer blogger Ken Tysiac spoke with Thorp, who found out on the Interwebs that Drew had an offer from the Tar Heels, and was, shall we say, none too happy:

"Drew is a good kid and I feel bad for him in all this," Thorp said, "and for all I know, we would love to have him on the football team. But with everything going on, it would be good for the athletic director and the coach to talk about that and probably for all three of us to talk."

Clearly, it would have been good for Davis, Thorp and Baddour to talk about a lot of things, but I'm going to chalk this one up to Davis hoping Thorp would take it easy on his son...and Drew never seeing the field. Sorry, kid.

For more information on the Tar Heels, visit Carolina March.

Quick, Nobody Talk About How Much You'd Like An Unconditional Release From The Tar Heels

UNC Community Reacts To Everett Withers Hire

Considering the two-year hole they've suddenly found their program in, our UNC blog is taking the Everett Withers hire about as well as can be expected:

I personally was agnostic on the question of who should fill the role of the four candidates being considered, but in retrospect Withers seems like a god choice. The fan base has had their frustrations with John Shoop as offensive coordinator, and Sam Pittman and Ken Browning were probably considered too new to the position and too old to take the role on, respectively. Withers has done great thing with the defense in his four years as defensive coordinator, focusing on the secondary, which was especially strong in 2009 and good last season despite losing a lot of players. He has a ridiculously short amount of time to get up to speed, but expectations are pretty low for this team right now. The schedule starts slow, and he may be able to salvage this season yet.

North Carolina Names Defensive Coordinator Everett Withers Interim Coach

In the wake of the puzzlingly timed firing of Butch Davis, UNC has officially named defensive coordinator Everett Withers as the interim head coach. 

In a bizarre twist, Athletic Director Dick Baddour was part of the decision to appoint Withers, despite announcing earlier today that he would step down when his contract expires. Add in this nugget from SB Nation's Tar Heel blog, Carolina March...:

Chancellor Thorp will seek a replacement as soon as possible, with Baddour staying on primarily to deal with the ongoing NCAA investigation. Baddour will have little to no input on the hiring of the next permanent football coach.

...and this whole thing just went from puzzling to bizarre to...whatever is stranger than bizarre. What's more, it's being reported that UNC has found an interim AD, to which the UNC announcement makes no reference. Here's the money quote from Withers:

"I'm excited for this opportunity and I'm honored the Chancellor and Dick Baddour have faith in me to do this job."     

It bears mentioning that Withers wasn't hired by Davis, so university officials probably feel as if they're taking the team in a more reputable direction with this move.

For more on the Tar Heels, check out Carolina March

What Firing Butch Davis Will Cost UNC

North Carolina's decision to fire Butch Davis as its head football coach isn't the end of the story, not by a longshot. Now comes all of the questions, replacements and other details, including figuring out how much all of this is going to cost the University.

There's the obvious costs first. Davis is still owed $2.7 million in a contract buyout. Chancellor Holden Thorp said "I've reached the conclusion that even though this is a terrible time, the athletics program will pay whatever it needs to pay to make the separation happen." Just in case you were wondering how fired up Thorp was, there you go.

But then there's the other cost involved. Namely, the costs of building The Blue Zone.

The Blue Zone is a $70 million project that includes a student-athlete center and 3,000 new, stadium seats for the upper-echelon of UNC football fans. The project had been funded mainly by a booster club, but that club was doing so based on the success of Butch Davis and his revamped Tar Heels football program. Now, many boosters are pulling out of the club and taking their valuable money with them.

Millions remain to be paid on the Blue Zone project. The people willing to pony up for it are dwindling. And Butch Davis doesn't have to worry about it anymore. UNC, however, does.

For more on the North Carolina football situation, keep an eye on Carolina March.

UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour To Step Down

Dick Baddour has been through a lot this week, as the North Carolina athletic director is already juggling logistics and a media firestorm following the firing of UNC football coach Butch Davis. At a press conference Thursday morning, Baddour announced that he will be stepping down as well once his contract as up.

Baddour, the school's athletic director for over a decade, will remain in university employ through next summer. His AD duties will end much sooner, however, according to SB Nation Blog Carolina March.

Chancellor Thorp will seek a replacement as soon as possible, with Baddour staying on primarily to deal with the ongoing NCAA investigation. Baddour will have little to no input on the hiring of the next permanent football coach.

The exit announcement was a dry affair, although Thorp dropped one rather interesting quote at the press conference, saying "I am very very reluctantly accepting Dick's offer to step down sooner," according to Brett McMurphy.

Stay tuned to this UNC football investigation StoryStream, and keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

Butch Davis 'Shocked' At Firing, And We Can Hardly Blame Him

Does Butch Davis Firing Ruin UNC's 2011 Football Season?

Carolina March wonders what will happen the the University of North Carolina's 2011 football season in the wake of the sudden firing of head coach Butch Davis. When a university fires its head coach days before the start of the month of August, you know there's a problem. Carolina March calls it a "stupid, panicked move":

It is eight days before training camp begins, and the administration has stood by the coach for a full year. An entire recruiting class was signed under the promise that UNC was standing by their coach and the program would survive the current scandal intact; it only hurts the school's integrity to suddenly go back on that promise.

Carolina March goes on to argue that the 2011 season is "pretty much destroyed": the players will be "confused," coordinators will be concerned about finding new jobs, and it will be hard to convince top potential coaches to come to UNC given how surprising the firing was and the school's current issues with the NCAA. It could be a long, strange season in Chapel Hill.

For more on UNC's troubles, continue to follow this storystream.

Butch Davis Fired: Holden Thorp, Dick Baddour Holding Thursday Press Conference

You didn't expect to find yourself wondering who will replace Butch Davis as head coach of North Carolina Tar Heels football, but here you are. There's no guarantee that chancellor Holden Thorp and athletic director Dick Baddour will discuss Davis' temporary replacement during their Thursday press conference at 11 am ET, but it would be kind of crazy not to.

It would also be kind of crazy to wait until darn-near August to fire a college football coach. Let's move along.

Which coaches on Davis' staff could take over the team for the 2011 season as fall practice nears? Offensive coordinator John Shoop has never been a head coach, and neither has defensive coordinator Everett Withers. Luke Fickell had no coaching experience, either, when he took over Ohio State, and ... hey, this is all starting to sound kind of familiar.

Stay tuned to this UNC football investigation StoryStream, and keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

UNC: Butch Davis Fired 'To Restore Confidence In University'

Minutes after reports first broke, the University of North Carolina has confirmed the firing of Tar Heels football head coach Butch Davis. In a statement, the school confirms that black marks on its "academic integrity" drove the move, while also confirming that HEY FOOTBALL STARTS LIKE REALLY SOON.

Chancellor Holden Thorp on the firing of coach Davis:

To restore confidence in the University of North Carolina and our football program, it's time to make a change. 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.

Athletics and football are an important part of this University, and a successful football program is essential to the overall health of our athletic program. That's why we have to put this behind us and move forward.   

And here's athletic director Dick Baddour:

I want to thank Butch Davis and his family for their four-plus years of service and dedication to the University and the Chapel Hill community. My staff and I will work with Chancellor Thorp to transition to an interim head coach as soon as possible. It is critical that we do all we can to help our students and other staff members on the football team since preseason training camp begins in just eight days.    

Stay tuned to this UNC football investigation StoryStream, and keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

Butch Davis Fired For 'Academic Misconduct Findings,' According To Report

When reports started to simmer forth that Butch Davis was about to be fired as North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach, you couldn't help but wonder what new information had caused UNC to suddenly decide to cut ties with him. After all, the program had been hit with a smorgasbord of allegations as wide-ranging as any in memory.

Joe Schad reports it was the academic stuff in the NCAA's Notice of Allegations that did it, and not anything new, and that it was chancellor Holden Thorp who made the call. 

You're now wondering if Mr. Thorp is aware that football season is about to begin very shortly. Waiting so long to fire Davis over a report that came out weeks ago essentially punishes the entire program and fanbase as harshly as possible, while firing him earlier could've salvaged ... something.

Butch Davis Fired As UNC Football Coach, According To Reports

After an afternoon of rumors that included a closed Board of Trustees meeting and pokerfaced comments on whether North Carolina Tar Heels coach Butch Davis had been fired or not, Butch Davis has indeed been fired as the head coach of UNC football, according to CBS Sports, who said players have already been made aware. Joe Schad reported "the process of termination" is underway.

In late-July. As in weeks before college football season.

Before the news broke, UNC chancellor Holden Thorp declined to comment on the firing.

Until now, North Carolina's apparent reason for not axing Davis as soon as the pile of allegations arrived was plausible deniability. At the ACC's media days over the weekend, Davis took responsibility for the program's mountain of troubles:

I'm the head football coach. And things that happen, anything I can do to make sure these things don't happen ... anything that we can do to make sure that doesn't happen again, that's part of my responsibility.

He also said he had no plans of stepping down and was reassured by the school's support. When last we'd heard from Davis in relation to the long and winding NCAA investigation into Carolina football, the school had announced it was handing over his phone records to the media.

And to think, this all started with a tweet.

And We Were Getting So Good At Not Talking About The North Carolina Investigation

UNC Investigation: Butch Davis To Release Phone Records

Under scrutiny from the NCAA over violations, the University of North Carolina is going to release head football coach Butch Davis' phone records to media outlets covering the investigation.

The school previously released records showing only a few calls from Davis’ office and university-issued cell phone in 2009 and 2010. Reporters have since requested more access.

Davis made the announcement after the Pigskin Preview preseason luncheon Thursday.

"Anything that has absolutely anything to do with UNC and business, those will certainly be completely open for public record," Davis said.

Davis didn’t say exactly when he’d release the records and said he wasn't aware if the NCAA had reviewed them or not already. He also said the university had reviewed records for a cell phone he’s had for about 10 years and that he intended to redact personal call records.

Keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

That UNC Investigation Still Has Time To Get Interesting

UNC Football's Michael McAdoo Denied Injunction, Spoiling Eligibility

Former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo won't be playing football again for the Tar Heels this fall after a judge denied his request for injunctive relief, reports the News & Observer:

Judge Orlando Hudson, after a hearing that lasted more than two hours, found that McAdoo’s claim did not meet the standards required for an injunction, and that it was "not likely he would suffer irreparable loss if not imposed."

McAdoo had been dismissed permanently from the football team last fall when it was found that he received improper help from an academic tutor and benefits from an agent. McAdoo decided to seek legal action because he believed the punishment was disproportionate to his actions, though later reports had McAdoo excessively plagiarizing others' works.

Apparently the school did offer to allow McAdoo a position as a student coach on scholarship for the upcoming season, at least to a recently filed affidavit by the school, but McAdoo's lawyer claims that the offer was not ever serious.

While the injunction was denied, the lawsuit filed against the university will go forward.

For more on the NCAA investigation into North Carolina, check out the rest of this StoryStream and visit Carolina March.

Michael McAdoo Lawsuit Takes Strange Turn With Plagiarism Allegation

Michael McAdoo filed suit against the NCAA and University of North Carolina in an effort to have his eligibility restored after it was stripped in the wake of allegations of academic misconduct and improper benefits. McAdoo allegedly passed off others' work as his own after a tutor helped rework a paper he'd wrote for a class. But the suit took a turn for the weird on Friday as the allegations against McAdoo, including full-scale plagiarism, deepened.

A Sports By Brooks post on Friday morning alleges McAdoo engaged in gross academic misconduct, going so far as to copy nearly an entire term paper from a variety of different sources. McAdoo then asked an academic tutor to check the paper over and make sure his citations were in order because he was worried about plagiarism.

Now for the bizarre part: McAdoo’s paper cited the sources from which huge swaths of exact text were lifted.

In other words, McAdoo, tutor Wiley (and apparently Baddour, Keadey, other UNC officials and the UNC honor court) thought it was okay to plagiarize long passages from other academic works so long as they footnoted the source!

He goes on to cite large portions of the paper copied word-for-word from existing sources found on the Internet.

The paper itself was the subject of an NCAA investigation that resulted in McAdoo having his eligibility stripped. North Carolina officials, including the athletic director, went to bat for McAdoo twice, pleading with the NCAA to allow the football player to retain his eligibility while arguing the tutor in question was simply acting as a safety net for McAdoo, looking over his work and proofreading it.

It would seem the allegations throw a giant wrench into McAdoo's case against UNC and the NCAA. If he did, indeed, engage in such an instance of blatant plagiarism, it would seem to lend credence his eligibility being stripped for academic conduct. But with the case yet to play out in court, it's still unknown how the latest news could affect the lawsuit.

For more on the NCAA investigation into North Carolina, check out the rest of this StoryStream and visit Carolina March.

NCAA Defends Itself, Prepared For Michael McAdoo Lawsuit

The NCAA has heard about the lawsuit filed against it by former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo over his being declared permanently ineligible. This being the NCAA, simply having heard about the legal action is probably a positive development. Surprisingly, they’re not fans.

“We are aware of the litigation. Academic integrity is critically important to intercollegiate athletics and something that is expected from all student-athletes. As a result, the NCAA plans to vigorously defend the process by which penalties related to academic misconduct are ultimately determined by the NCAA Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, comprised of representatives from member institutions.”

Pity the jury that has to try to wade through the NCAA rule book and figure out the byzantine procedure for meting out punishment for alleged violations. It’s hard enough for compliance directors and coaches to keep up with the rules, much less people who have actual lives on the side.

For more on the NCAA investigation into North Carolina, check out the rest of this StoryStream and visit Carolina March.

Former Tar Heel Michael McAdoo Suing UNC, NCAA Over Ineligibility

Former North Carolina defensive end Michael McAdoo lost his college football eligibility in the wake of the NCAA investigation into possible impermissible benefits at the school. Now McAdoo's filed a civil lawsuit against the NCAA and North Carolina, alleging "gross negligence" and seeking reinstatement.

McAdoo is also looking for unspecified damages in the suit, which claims that, despite the NCAA ruling him permanently ineligible for receiving assistance from a tutor "on multiple assignments across several academic terms," the only infraction the Honor Code found him guilty of was passing another's work off as his own after a tutor reformatted a paper. And McAdoo's contention is that being ruled ineligible for that academic mistake and receiving $110 in improper benefits as part of a trip he took to Washington, D.C. with teammates Marvin Austin and Greg Little is "grossly disproportionate."

A hearing on McAdoo's case will be held July 15.

For more on the NCAA investigation into North Carolina, check out the rest of this StoryStream and visit Carolina March.

Quinton Coples Cleared In UNC NCAA Investigation

North Carolina defensive lineman Quinton Coples is in the clear after the NCAA found he was not responsible for any violations in connections with a draft party for Marvin Austin. Coples turned up at the draft party, which took place on May 5 in Washington D.C. Pictures of the senior-to-be appeared on a website associated with a Washington magazine.

According to a report by the Charlotte Observer, Coples did nothing to jeopardize his eligibility and was never a part of any allegation.

"At no time was there ever any allegation or intimation of a violation of NCAA By-laws," Orr wrote in a statement released to the media. "This process was simply the NCAA gathering information relevant to its responsibilities for monitoring student/athlete conduct as governed by the NCAA By-laws."

UNC is by no means in the clear, and still must answer to an NCAA Notice of Allegations that includes nine major violations. The notice includes allegations of academic fraud, players receiving improper benefits and impermissible contact with agents. So call Coples' exoneration a small, moral victory in the scheme of it all.

UNC Names Players Who Racked Up Parking Tickets

Under court order, UNC has revealed the names of some of the football players who racked up rather large numbers of campus parking tickets during their time at Chapel Hill. There aren’t a bunch of surprises among the eight names, which accounted for 317 of the 395 parking tickets. In fact, several had already been implicated in the NCAA investigation.

But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing interesting in the release. For example, it would not be out of line to call Greg Little “the Terrelle Pryor of Chapel Hill.”

Little, who was declared “permanently ineligible” by the NCAA in October, received 43 tickets on a gray Nissan car and 38 on a gray Dodge. He also was listed as being responsible for a green BMW (seven tickets), a black Acura (four) and a black Honda (one).

Which begs the question: If you have access to a BMW, why are you driving a Nissan?

UNC's Likely NCAA Defense: Who Knew?

It might be useful to remember that one of the allegations against North Carolina’s football program involves its associate head coach as you read about the Tar Heels’ likely defense against the NCAA allegations leveled against the program. Because that’s what makes the defense, if not novel, then at least gutsy.

North Carolina is likely to attempt a "rogue’’ defense when answering allegations of NCAA violations by its football program, according to two lawyers who have followed the case. …

“My position would be, knowing North Carolina’s reputation, that we did have comprehensive programs in place and we did monitor all the ways we could monitor,’’ [attorney Michael] Buckner said Wednesday. “The reason these violations occurred is we had individuals who intentionally avoided scrutiny and accomplished these violations in such a way there were no red flags.” …

[Radio host and attorney David] Glenn said UNC, while not claiming it is blameless, will build a case that it had a strong compliance system “and stuff just went wrong.”

Yes, stuff happens. Call it the keychain defense. In any case, as our UNC blog Carolina March recently pointed out, this could actually explain why Butch Davis hasn’t lost his job — yet.

Despite the immediate outcry, Butch Davis won’t be fired any time soon, in part because UNCs defense hangs on him being unaware of Blake’s activities and having not having reason to suspect otherwise. To fire Davis would imply he did know what was going on, and make things all the worse for Carolina.

Once the NCAA sledgehammer has dropped, though …

Butch Davis, UNC, And A Japanese Plywood Metaphor

UNC Football Coach Butch Davis On NCAA Allegations: 'I Feel Terrible'

In case you haven't heard yet, the North Carolina Tar Heels have shared the NCAA's Notice of Allegations against their program, in which the case is presented that UNC football has broken an impressive smorgasbord of rules over the past few years. Heels coach Butch Davis, who led the team during the entire time span covered by the notice, has spoken on the matter:

I feel terrible that these allegations occurred under my watch. I especially regret that the university has had to endure this scrutiny because of the football program. The responsibility for correcting any problems that put us in this position is mine, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I want to thank our fans for the tremendous support we have received. Their loyalty and support has been especially appreciated by our student-athletes. The opportunity I have to serve the University of North Carolina is one that I cherish, and I will continue to focus on improving every aspect of our football program.

As Davis ponders whether he'll come out of this with his job intact (he probably will not), you'll note he didn't actually admit to anything. Rejoice, lovers of years-long drama, because this story still has a long way to go, as Carolina will have to speak up for itself in front of the NCAA and appeal whatever punishments are eventually handed down.

Remember how long the USC thing took to wrap up?

For upcoming developments on various UNC football scandals, stick with this StoryStream. For more on Heels sports, join Carolina March.

UNC's NCAA Notice Of Allegations Document: Ineligible Athletes Played Multiple Seasons

The North Carolina Tar Heels have finally unveiled the NCAA's Notice of Allegations, which details just how far and deep into Chapel Hill these various intertwining scandals go. The answers: very, and very. You can click to review the entire document here, which includes many pages of guidelines on how UNC should respond to the allegations, but here's the gist of it.

Carolina football has been accused of violating NCAA bylaws 10.1, 10.1-(b), 10.1-(c), 10.1-(d), 11.1.4, 11.2.2, 12.1.2.1.6, 12.3.1.2 ... and so on. As Stewart Mandel has noted, Butch Davis' program has pretty much touched 'em all. In the very first paragraph is the line:

As a result of the academic fraud, [redacted] competed while ineligible during the 2009 and 2010 football seasons, and [redacted] competed while ineligible during the 2008 and 2009 football seasons.

The notice spans everything from a player getting a little too much help with a works-cited page for an African studies course in November 2008 to tutor Jennifer Wiley paying for player airfare and parking tickets and over $27,000 finding its way into player pockets by way of Gary Wichard, Todd Stewart and others. Current New York Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is named in that group, and former coach John Blake has a section all to himself.

The table of impermissible monetary benefits breaks all the way down to $5 violations. Yikes.

The only good news for Heels fans: the department as a whole wasn't hit with a Lack of Institutional Control charge -- apparently since Roy Williams runs a relatively tight ship, I guess -- but this is about as widespread as it gets while being contained in just one program. This story has been going on forever, and yet it's only getting started. Wheeeee!

UNC Player Greg Little Had Temporary Licence Plates Linked To Jailed Dealer

When it was reported that 12 different North Carolina football players had been given parking citations on 28 different license plates, just about everyone  was able to figure out that something incredibly shady was going on. Today, it was revealed that Tar Heels wide receiver Greg Little had a few of those license plates, including two temporary plates that were linked back to a now-closed dealership. That dealership is now closed because its proprietor is in jail on federal money laundering charges.

It's bad enough that Little was using temporary plates in back to back months on the same car, but the fact that he got them from a man who is now in jail makes it sound a whole lot worse. Not to suggest that Little was involved with this guy's shady business in any way other than taking another temporary plate that he shouldn't have had, but this might open up a whole new can of worms for the NCAA. Oh, and another one of the plates he had on his car one of the times he was cited is a plate that doesn't even exist. 

The evidence of wrongdoing keeps mounting, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the NCAA come down hard on the North Carolina Tar Heels football program.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March.

NCAA Gives UNC Notice Of Allegations, Confirms Violations

The NCAA announced they'd be making inquiry into the University of North Carolina's football program, and in the most inevitable development in NCAA history, it was announced today that the NCAA has uncovered rules violations.

We don't know which rules just yet, but North Carolina announced on Tuesday that the football program has received the dreaded Notice of Allegations from the NCAA and its investigation team. And considering the widespread allegations of cheating, improper benefits, and illegal contact with agents, it's not surprising that the NCAA's uncovered some violations. The question now centers on what, exactly, the NCAA found, and to what extent they'll punish the Tar Heel football program.

Given some of the controversy that's been hanging over the team in Chapel Hill, the violations uncovered could be fairly serious in this case. Whatever happens, UNC will have plenty of opportunities to appeal.

For now, though, we'll have to wait and see exactly what the NCAA's come up with.

But make no mistake: An "NCAA inquiry" is one thing, but a Notice of Allegations takes things to another level. The trouble just got serious for the Tar Heel football program.

UNC Investigation Takes Twist With Release Of Phone Records

The Charlotte Observer got its hands on the phone records of former UNC assistant John Blake and found he spent a significant amount of time in contact with Marvin Austin, calling into question what he knew about Austin's eligibility issues. Austin was suspended for the 2011 season for receiving improper benefits, including training and accommodations from an agency in California.

Phone records showed Blake was in contact with Austin and teammate Cam Thomas while they were in training in California with former UNC player Kentwan Balmer. Blake was also in contact with Austin when the NCAA was on campus and made contact with Gary Wichard, an agent named in the investigation.

Though the phone calls indicate Blake was in contact with Austin and Thomas while they were in California, it's unclear whether he knew where they were at the time. As the Charlotte Observer reports, it's an important detail in the investigation.

Although it is unclear whether Blake knew the players were training in California with former North Carolina teammate Kentwan Balmer, the phone records indicate that Blake and Austin were in contact while Austin was there. If Blake or anyone else at UNC had learned the players were with Balmer in California, it would have been necessary to have North Carolina's compliance office investigate whether the trip was permissible before the 2009 season.

The Tar Heels received a notice of inquiry on June 7. The university is dealing with a variety of charges regarding players' ties to agencies while enrolled in school.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March.

Racking Up 93 Parking Tickets On A College Campus Is Not Hard

UNC Releases Parking Ticket Files On Marvin Austin, Others

As part of an ongoing investigation into the North Carolina Tar Heels football team, the News & Observer and other media outlets received files on 395 parking tickets received by players on the team. The university released this information on Thursday after a court denied an appeal to delay release of this knowledge.

These records concern 11 players on the team from 2007 through 2010. While the names were not released, the N&O was able to determine LB Bruce Carter and WR Greg Little combined to receive over 30 citations, while DT Marvin Austin, now in the NFL, collected 42 citations. All told, fines collected by the 11 players totaled over $13,000 and over $2,000 in unpaid fines.

Parking tickets appear to be on a lower rung of concern, considering that agents, improper benefits and academic inquiries are already on the NCAA's list on issues, but as we saw with Ohio State, all things converge and snowball to wider, overall problems.

For more UNC athletics news and discussion, visit SB Nation's Carolina March.

That Is One Well-Secured Empty Barn

UNC Announces Most Obvious NCAA Inquiry In Recorded Human History

In June of 2010, the NCAA made the University of North Carolina aware of possible illegal benefits violations among members of the Tar Heels football team. In July of 2010, we giggled at barely-there reports of NCAA investigators questioning players. In September of 2010 we wat in the Georgia Dome and watched a gutted UNC team down 13 players very nearly knock off LSU in the highest-profile game of college football's 2010 opening weekend. And on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, the university announced the receipt of a notice of inquiry by the NCAA. Not a notice of allegations, mind. Just a notice that the NCAA thinks, officially, that something might be amiss:

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina announced Tuesday it has received a notice of inquiry from the NCAA pertaining to its football program. The letter is a formal declaration of an investigation into the program, which originally began in June, 2010.
[...]
"The notice of inquiry is a formal notification from the NCAA that they have been reviewing our football program," said UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. "We have been working with the NCAA and cooperating with them on this investigation. We are committed to the process and will continue to cooperate."

For an impression of just how much has transpired since the NCAA's initial foray into Chapel Hill, peruse the rest of this StoryStream. The scope of events is just staggering: A second, academics-related investigation came to light. A third case, featuring defensive end Quinton Coples, was announced just a few weeks ago. Two players were ruled permanently ineligible. Four players have left the program just this spring. Marvin Austin, the original investigative centerpiece, was the Denver Broncos' second-round draft pick. The state government got involved. The coach in the eye of the case resigned, and the agent being fingered for ethics violations up and died. And Butch Davis banned Twitter, and still has a job. We stand in awe of this rich human tapestry of events.

UNC Football Illegal Benefits Investigation: Still There!

Marvin Austin Has Really Matured, In A Way

NFL Agent Gary Wichard, Central Figure In UNC Investigation, Reportedly Has Died

Veteran NFL agent Gary Wichard, who represented such players as Antonio Cromartie, C.J. Spiller, Jason Taylor, and Dwight Freeney over the course of a decades-long career in the field, has died, according to a report from the Sports Agent Blog. The author cites multiple sources, including a member of Wichard's ProTect Management, and another blog mentions that several agents at the 2011 NFL Combine believe Wichard to have been ill. Sports Business Journal's Liz Mullen says Wichard was suffering from both diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

Apart from his work with the pros, Wichard had gained recent notoriety thanks to his involvement in the ongoing investigation into improper benefits for UNC football players. Earlier this month, a search warrant was issued by investigators from the North Carolina Secretary Of State's office for financial records belonging both to Wichard and ProTect, as ties between him and former Tar Heels assistant coach John Blake continued to be probed. Wichard was also serving a nine-month suspension from the NFLPA thanks to fallout from the case.

UNC Agent Investigation: Meet The Gary Wichard Search Warrant!

It's another banner day for UNC athletics news, as the investigation into improper dealings between NFL agent Gary Wichard and the Tar Heel football program rambles on. WRAL news out of Raleigh has more details (and a frankly amazing graphic) of the search warrant issued for Wichard's financial records, including records for Wichard's ProTect Management:

In the warrant, [Sam] Cabrera outlines interviews with [Marvin] Austin, Wichard and NFL player and former Tar Heel Kentwan Balmer in which the trio agreed that Austin had traveled to California to visit and work out with Balmer twice in 2009. On the second trip, the three agree, Austin met Wichard.

All three claimed a coach from Austin's high school paid for the flights. The coach, Todd Amis, told investigators he was reimbursed for those expenses by Wichard.

UNC's student newspaper, the Daily Tar Heel, has a copy of the search warrant itself available for public perusal, if you'd like all the dry details. For more UNC news and discussion, visit SB Nation's Carolina March.

Search Warrant Isssued For Gary Wichard's Bank Records, Agent Ties To UNC Still Under Investigation

We've been following the story of the dual investigation on the part of the NCAA and the North Carolina Secretary of State's office into UNC athletics since last July, and while the scandal has largely gone cold since December, it's time to drag out your violation bingo cards again: A search warrant has been issued for bank records belonging to Gary Wichard, the NFL agent at the center of the investigation. Wichard has been serving a nine-month suspension handed down by the NFLPA since December, but it appears the party's not over for his lawyers.

As far back as September, it's been widely reported that Wichard and former UNC assistant coach John Blake had engaged in some sort of financial transactions. A fun reminder from our fall coverage of this story: "North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act makes it a felony punishable by up to 15 months in prison for agents to provide anything to athletes prior to agreeing to a contract." And CBS's Bryan Fischer points out how this story could quickly get worse, and not just for the Tar Heels: It's silly to imagine Blake was the only coach Wichard was in contact with, right? How many other major programs could be implicated here?

And what of the implicated players at North Carolina? It's a mixed bag of permanent ineligibility, reinstatement, and disappearing acts (more on these later), but the central figure, defensive tackle Marvin Austin, has done all right for himself since his November dismissal from the team.  Austin shone even in a rich class of defensive line talent at the 2011 NFL Combine, beating out both Nick Fairley and fellow Wichard target Marcell Dareus at the 40-yard dash. He's projected as an early-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

For more UNC athletics news and discussion, visit SB Nation's Carolina March.

Agent Gary Wichard Suspended By NFLPA For Improper Involvement With Marvin Austin

On Friday, the NFL Player's Association suspended agent Gary Wichard after it was learned that his involvement with ex-UNC player Marvin Austin violated regulations. Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson reports:

The NFLPA is suspending agent Gary Wichard for nine months for his improper involvement with UNC's Marvin Austin. Effective immediately.

[...] Source says NFLPA determined Wichard had improper involvement with Austin. Documentation showed improper involvement.

The suspension is only the latest bit of fallout from the NCAA's investigation of UNC. In October, Austin, a defensive tackle, was permanently dismissed from the team. Robinson also reports that both UNC and the NCAA aided the NFLPA's investigative efforts.

The ramifications of Wichard's suspension are sure to cause a ripple effect. As Pro Football Talk notes, Wichard also represents the NFL's Terrell Suggs, Dwight Freeney, C.J. Spiller, and Jason Taylor; furthermore, a suspension of nine months means that he'll be out of the picture for the 2011 draft.

Minutes ago, the NFLPA issued a press release regarding Wichard's suspension:

CARD COMMITTEE SUSPENDS CONTRACT ADVISOR WICHARD’S CERTIFICATION

The NFLPA’s Committee on Agent Regulation and Discipline (CARD) has suspended the Certification of NFLPA Contract Advisor Gary Wichard for a period of nine months, beginning on Dec. 1, 2010, for having impermissible communication with University of North Carolina player Marvin Austin at a time Austin was not eligible for the NFL Draft under the NFL/NFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NFLPA Regulations prohibit agents from communicating with college players before they become draft-eligible. Wichard has agreed to the nine-month suspension and has therefore waived his right to appeal.

UNC Reports Hakeem Nicks, Vernon Davis Gave Improper Benefits To Players

Big day for the neverending improper-benefits investigation into the UNC football program! A months-long scandal that was triggered by, among other events, the relationship between current Tar Heels and former players like Kentwan Balmer, added some more ACC alumni names today, as the university released additional information to the NCAA in the process of clearing up the eligibility statuses of the remaining withheld players. Let's give a warm welcome to the newcomers reported to have help destabilize the Chapel Hill regime:

Mahlon Carey, Hakeem Nicks, Omar Brown, Vernon Davis and an unknown person from Miami gave gifts of cash and jewelry and provided impermissible assistance with travel, lodging and entertainment expenses.

    •    Nicks: $3,300
    •    Brown: $1,865
    •    Carey: $140
    •    Davis: $20
    •    Unknown person from Miami: $323

Before we get to making fun of Vernon Davis for only shelling out 20 bucks, ESPN has some additional details that make you wonder just how shabbily his guest bedroom must be decorated:

The school said the amount -- totaling $5,648 between the five people -- also includes the estimated value of lodging at their homes during visits. Some of those benefits were repaid by the players or hosts before they knew they had broken NCAA rules.

Oh, and the school also formally severed its relationship with Jennifer Wiley, the tutor accused of providing extra benefits and improper academic assistance. Now: return to the Vernon Davis jokes! Seriously, did he make them sleep in a shed? I'm asking for Craig James.

UNC Names Names In AgentGate -- Including Rosenhaus Sports

Perhaps it was just a matter of time before a big-name NFL agent was drawn into the investigation of agents providing impermissible benefits to North Carolina football players, but the name that has eventually been dropped is among the biggest: Drew Rosenhaus.

Details are sketchy in the documents released to McClatchy newspapers in North Carolina, but this portion of the story could cause ripples.

Michael Katz, who works with a major agency, Rosenhaus Sports, which has the largest number of NFL clients.

The documents say Katz provided wristbands for players to attend a pool party.

Compared to some of the other agent activities in AgentGate, even those in the documents, what Katz did seems to be relatively low on the scale of rule-breaking. Still, the NFL can’t be thrilled to see its most prominent player advocate dragged into the investigation.

Butch Davis Forbids UNC Players From Using Twitter

As if there wasn't already enough negative attention swirling around UNC, now Coach Davis is stifling his players' social media creativity:

North Carolina football coach Butch Davis has told his players to stop using Twitter.

UNC football spokesman Kevin Best says Davis gave the order on Thursday at practice that players are forbidden from using the popular microblogging service.

Those already with accounts have been told to deactivate them, and players without accounts are forbidden from creating them. 

UNC Fans Ask: Can Athletes Maybe Stop Lying To The NCAA?

SB Nation's Carolina March would like to remind the world at large that lying to the NCAA generally doesn't work out too well for the liars:

If I may make a small recommendation. Whoever makes the next orientation video for the Carolina football team includes the scene from The West Wing where Martin Sheen talks to Dulé Hill about the upcoming Congressional investigation - the whole, "If you lie about anything, you're dead to me" speech. Because Greg Little, Robert Quinn, and Marvin Austin apparently lied to the NCAA, and did so badly. And now the NCAA has declared their time in Kenan done.

Where Are They Now? Tracking Tar Heels Implicated In NCAA Investigation

A quick review of North Carolina football players implicated in an ongoing improper benefits investigation reveals a hefty body count, and a fair number of players with hazy futures as Tar Heels:

Marvin Austin, senior DT: Suspended since shortly before season opener; later dismissed.

Charles Brown, senior CB: Ruled ineligible for season opener; has yet to play in 2010.

Kendric Burney, senior CB: Ruled ineligible for season opener; later suspended for six games.

Bruce Carter, senior LB: Cleared before season opener.

Shaun Draughn, senior RB: Cleared by Week 2.

Linwan Euwell, junior LB: Withheld from season opener; has yet to play in 2010.

Brian Gupton, junior DB:Withheld from season opener; has yet to play in 2010.

Ryan Houston, senior RB: Withheld from season opener; has yet to play in 2010.

Greg Little, senior WR: Ruled ineligible for season opener; later ruled permanently ineligible.

Michael McAdoo, junior DE: Status unclear. Ruled ineligible for season opener; was listed by the NCAA as playing against Rutgers, but no other games this season. Has yet to record a single official stat.

Robert Quinn, junior DE: Ruled ineligible for season opener; later ruled permanently ineligible.

Da'Norris Searcy, senior DB: Held out of season opener; cleared to return by Week 4.

Jonathan Smith, senior DB: Withheld from season opener; has yet to play in 2010.

Quan Sturdivant, senior LB: Cleared before season opener. 

Deunta Williams, senior DB: Suspended for four games.

This is all based on the best information we have right now via the NCAA's official stats and the university website. We'll update this list accordingly as the six unaddressed players are cleared or punished.

UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour Addresses Players' Dismissal

UNC athletic director Dick Baddour has released a statement through the university concerning the dismissal of Marvin Austin and de facto dismissals of Greg Little and Robert Quinn. You can read the full text here, but please focus your attention on this one nugget in the closing:

I hate that these issues have hurt the University of North Carolina and our fans. We have so much to be proud of as a University. We will learn from this and we will become a better program as a result.

"Better" in the Goofus/Gallant sense they very well may be, when all the housecleaning's done with, but a Tar Heels squad expected to contend strongly for the ACC title sits currently at 3-2, tied with Miami for third place in the Coastal division.

UNC's Greg Little, Robert Quinn Ruled Permanently Ineligible

On the heels of the announcement of Marvin Austin's dismissal from UNC comes the news that Tar Heels Greg Little and Robert Quinn have been ruled permanently ineligible. The university goes into considerably more detail here in listing the duo's misdeeds:

The university declared both student-athletes ineligible for violations of NCAA agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct rules. According to the facts submitted by the university, the total value of the benefits is approximately $4,952 for Little and $5,642 for Quinn.

Little accepted diamond earrings, as well as travel accommodations for the Bahamas, Washington D.C. and two trips to Miami, among other benefits. Quinn accepted two black diamond watches, a pair of matching earrings and travel accommodations for a trip to Miami, among other benefits.

Based upon information gathered by the institution and the NCAA Agent, Gambling and Amateurism staff during its joint investigation, unethical conduct charges were found against both student-athletes for providing false and misleading information.

This brings the grand total (so far) of banished Tar Heel players to three.

Marvin Austin Dismissed From UNC Tar Heels Football

Nearly three months after the announcement of a wide-ranging NCAA investigation of the UNC football program, senior star Marvin Austin has been dismissed from the team for "violations of NCAA agent benefits, preferential treatment and ethical conduct rules":

North Carolina based its decision on recent information gathered as part of the joint investigation with the NCAA. Austin's case was not submitted to the NCAA for reinstatement. A senior from Washington, D.C., Austin had been suspended indefinitely since September 1 for violating team rules.

Austin is the second player to have his career permanently curtailed thanks to this investigation, following the ousting of Weslye Saunders from South Carolina, and the first of the thirteen implicated Tar Heels to be sent packing.

Report: UNC's John Blake May Have Contacted Ndamukong Suh Regarding Agent

Say this for John Blake, former UNC associate head coach and current NCAA investigation target: He's got good taste in talent. The North Carolina News Observer reports that Blake may have attempted to act as a go-between for NFL agent Gary Wichard with Ndamukong Suh:

Phone records released Tuesday show that former UNC associate head football coach John Blake last year placed calls to agent Gary Wichard's cell phone at times within minutes of calls to the family of prized 2010 draft prospect Ndamukong Suh of Nebraska.

On Monday, University of Nebraska coach Bo Pelini told the Omaha World-Herald that he recalled there being concerns over possible contact between John Blake and Suh during Suh's time as a student-athlete at Nebraska.

Suh calls Blake a friend and says there was no improper contact (and did not, it should be noted, sign with Wichard following his time at Nebraska).

UNC's John Blake Contacted Other Schools' Players To Shill For Agent

John Blake, associate UNC coach, he of the abrupt resignation and ensuing embarrassing links to NFL agent Gary Wichard, is back in the news again, and this time we've got specifics: Among the players he contacted during his time at North Carolina on behalf of a pro football agent was none other than star Alabama DT Marcell Dareus, the 2009 BCS title game MVP who was hit with an early-season suspension for agent contact.

Yahoo! Sports has the juicy, gory details:

Dareus, who was the defensive most valuable player in the 2010 BCS title game, was suspended by the NCAA for the first two games of this season for receiving improper benefits from agents during offseason trips to Miami. It was during that investigation, the sources said, that Dareus told NCAA investigators Blake had spoken to him about Wichard.

The sources said Dareus was extremely cooperative while describing his relationship with Blake to investigators, explaining that the former Tar Heels assistant recruited him while he was starring at Birmingham’s Huffman High School. The sources said Dareus told NCAA investigators that Blake had maintained contact with him since that recruitment, and that during the summer Blake called both Dareus and Dareus’ friend, South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders, to suggest they sign with Wichard. Both Dareus and Saunders were considered potential first-round picks entering this season.

UNC Safety Da'Norris Searcy Cleared By NCAA

In happier news for the Tar Heels, senior safety Da'Norris Searcy has been cleared in the plodding, neverending NCAA investigation of UNC footbal malfeasance, and will be on the field and active against East Carolina. His services will be most welcome against the high-scoring Purple Pirates:

The senior safety missed the first three games while the NCAA and the school determined his eligibility status. He was a starter last season and registered 35 tackles and ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 14.9 yards per punt return.

With Searcy's return, nine UNC players remain in legal limbo.

Former North Carolina Assistant Football Coach John Blake Linked To Agent In Scandal

If North Carolina was waiting for the other shoe to drop in their improper benefits and academic improprieties scandal, this is surely it.

According to Charles Robinson at Yahoo! Sports, receipts exist proving that NFL agent Gary Wichard and former University of North Carolina assistant football coach John Blake engaged in multiple financial transactions since 2007.

Wichard and Blake are now at the center of NCAA and North Carolina Secretary of State probes, which are seeking to determine the nature and scope of alleged agent tampering involving the football program. Those investigations have also focused on Tar Heels defensive tackle Marvin Austin, who has made at least five trips that have come under scrutiny. Two of those trips included training at a California facility less than two miles from Wichard’s agency, Pro Tect Management. Yahoo! Sports has obtained a hotel receipt from one of those trips, which lists Austin’s name above Pro Tect Management, as well as an address and Marriott Rewards number belonging to an NFL marketing agent who represents two current Pro-Tect clients.

Specifically, Yahoo! Sports has proof of a $45,000 loan from Pro Tect to Blake and a Pro Tect credit card in Blake’s name. They even have a receipt with Pro Tect’s information on it that was deleted from a version submitted to lawyers.

Wichard is denying the allegations while Blake refuses to comment. Wichard and Pro Tect are currently the focus of the NCAA and North Carolina’s probes into the alleged improprieties at UNC.

Wichard is facing strong allegations that could not only affect his status as an agent in the eyes of the NFLPA but North Carolina’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act makes it a felony punishable by up to 15 months in prison for agents to provide anything to athletes prior to agreeing to a contract.

Sadly for UNC, this one is just getting started. Between the academic allegations, player benefits and now the proof of a financial relationship between an agent and a coach, the possibility of “lack of institutional control” has to be thrown out there. Not to mention the fact that Butch Davis’ days are numbered.

Keep an eye on Carolina March for reaction and updates.

Tutor In UNC Investigation Refuses To Talk To School

UNC’s investigation into academic infractions has apparently hit a not-entirely-surprising speed bump, according to Athletics Director Dick Baddour: The tutor involved in the alleged scandal.

“We’ve reached out to her a number of times,” Baddour said in a telephone interview. “We’ve indicated to her that we would like to talk to her about this investigation, and her preference is not to do that.”

And her preference would seem to matter a great deal in this case, as the tutor — named by the state’s McClatchy newspapers as Jennifer Wiley — is no longer a student at the university, leaving the school with few options to make her cooperate.

But at least any hint of academic violations should not affect Wiley’s qualifications for her current job, which is — let’s see here … ah, yes. A kindergarten teacher. How quaint.

NCAA Suspends UNC's Kendric Burney And Deunta Williams

The NCAA has finally started doling out sanctions in its never-ending investigation into widespread allegations of improper benefits for players in multiple big-name football programs. SB Nation's Carolina March details the suspensions of cornerback Kendric Burney and safety Deunta Williams:

Kendric Burney has been suspended for six games for receiving $1,333 in illicit benefits, primarily trips to California, Atlanta and Las Vegas. Deunta Williams will be out four games as punishment for taking $1,426 in benefits, for two trips to California. It appears Burney has the more severe punishment because he received his goodies from "an individual who meets the NCAA definition of an agent," while Williams' were merely "preferential treatment violations associated with visiting a former North Carolina football student-athlete."
[...]
UNC will appeal both suspensions, but barring some sort of reversal, Williams will be eligible to play in the next ACC game against Clemson, while Burney will return against Miami on October 23rd.

The bulk of UNC's players held out since the season opener remain in legal limbo. For more on this unfolding investigation, stay tuned to this StoryStream and to Carolina March.

NCAA Asks For Agents' Cooperation In Eligibility Investigation

Several NFL agents have reported receiving a letter from the NCAA, asking for their cooperation as the investigation into improper benefits for college athletes marches on. I was personally hoping the missives were constructed from cut-out magazine letters, but apparently not:

A person familiar with the letter told The Associated Press that the tone is not threatening and the NCAA is not applying pressure on the agents. But it wants "an environment of cooperation" when NCAA regulations may have been broken regarding contact between agents and amateur student-athletes.
[...]
The NFLPA is encouraging agents and its members to cooperate with any investigations.

How on earth is this going to succeed? Are these guys chatting up college players on the sly going to throw up their hands with sheepish grins and admit to being caught when they're cornered? Is anything short of threats going to make this happen?

Marvin Austin Testifies In Government Investigation

UNC's Marvin Austin gave testimony at the offices of the North Carolina Secretary of State Friday, as part of an investigation into possible violations of state law by parties acting as sports agents:

[Secretary of State Elaine] Marshall's office began its review shortly after the NCAA launched an investigation into the school's football program in July. That probe initially focused on whether Austin and receiver Greg Little received improper benefits from agents, which led Marshall's office to subpoena Austin earlier this month.
Violating the state's agent laws, which require agents to register and prohibit them from offering gifts before a contract is signed, can lead to criminal or civil penalties.

Barring some extraordinary reversal, UNC will still be down twelve players, most of them would-be starters, when the Tar Heels host Georgia Tech Saturday.

For more on this story as it unfolds, follow this StoryStream and SB Nation's Carolina March.

Weslye Saunders Dismissed From South Carolina's Football Team

The NCAA's pan-Carolinian investigation into improper benefits for Tar Heel and Gamecock athletes has its first casualty: Athletic director Eric Hyman announced Wednesday that tight end Weslye Saunders has been dismissed from the South Carolina football program.

Despite Saunders' recent claims via social media that he'd been reinstated, this move is far from surprising, and wraps up a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances:

• July 19: Saunders is implicated in the improper-spring-break-benefits investigation that centered at the time around UNC's Marvin Austin.
• August 13: News emerges of a second NCAA investigation, also featuring Saunders, involving South Carolina football players living in an upscale hotel on the cheap.
• August 23: Saunders is held out of practice for what, at the time, are termed "personal reasons"; it is later learned that he's serving an indefinite suspension for lying to Steve Spurrier about being late for practice. He has yet to play a snap of football in the 2010 season.

Travis Haney of Charleston's Post and Courier reports that Saunders will apparently be allowed to retain his scholarship at South Carolina for academic purposes in order to complete his degree, and adds this ominous tidbit on the future of the NCAA's involvement with the Gamecock program (emphasis added):

The NCAA sent a letter of inquiry to the school last week, letting USC know it would be investigating the program for the foreseeable future.

As part of that, the NCAA will certainly look into its control and knowledge of Saunders’ alleged misdeeds.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream for further updates on the North Carolina/South Carolina investigations. For more Gamecock news, visit SB Nation's Garnet and Black Attack.

UNC's Shaun Draughn Cleared To Return For Home Opener

UNC football is beginning a slow climb out of a very deep hole in its personnel wrought by two separate NCAA investigations. Following the high of the speculated 16-player hole in the late preseason, and the still-grim reality of the 13-player deficit for the season opener, the Tar Heels will regain running back Shaun Draughn for their home opener against Georgia Tech. SB Nation's Carolina March assesses the impact:

This is obviously a boon for the Heels, as backs Anthony Elzy and Johnny White were held to a combined 75 yards against LSU. While Georgia Tech isn't exactly weak against the run, they did give a 55-yard carry against South Carolina State and the Jayhawks' James Sims had a 101-yard game last weekend against the Yellow Jackets.

Marvin Austin, the shiny centerpiece of the first investigation, still isn't practicing with the team, and the status of a large number of players is still very much in limbo.

Keep following this story right here and at SB Nation's Carolina March.

UNC Associate Head Coach John Blake Resigns

University of North Carolina associate head coach John Blake resigned Sunday amid the controversy that kept 13 defensive players out of the team's 30-24 loss to LSU on Saturday.

Here is the official statement Blake gave regarding his resignation:

"While I have enjoyed my tenure at the University of North Carolina, it has become apparent to me over the course of the past few weeks that my presence has become a distraction to my family and to this great University, too. Consequently, I have determined that it is in the best interests of my family, the University community at large, and the Football Program for me to step down from my position as associate head football coach effective today, September 5, 2010.

"I thank the Lord for the opportunity I have had to work with Butch Davis while at the University of North Carolina. I have grown to love and respect the school, my fellow coaches, and the young men who have worked so diligently to improve both as students and as football players. That love and respect has led me to the conclusion that the best decision for all involved is for me to step aside at this time. I wish the players, the coaches, and the University all the best.

"I thank the Tar Heel Nation for the overwhelming support I have received. The memories I have made here will last a lifetime. May God bless you all."

Blake was in his fourth year with the team. His employment agreement with UNC, which would have expired June 30, 2011, carried a salary of $240,000. Instead, he will receive $74,500, which is roughly the amount he would have received had he stayed through the end of the football season. This money will be paid from the school through football revenues.

Sturdivant, Carter Cleared To Play Against LSU

It looks like we know the final toll of the ongoing agent investigation on UNC’s roster for its Saturday night game against LSU. Of the three players who were on the fence — Quan Sturdivant, Bruce Carter and Deunta Williams — two have been cleared: linebackers Sturdivant and Carter.

Williams, a safety found to have broken either the team’s or the Association’s rules, becomes the 13th player who will be held out of the game.

Marvin Austin Subpoenaed by N.C. Investigators

It looks like the NCAA isn’t the only organization interested in talking to Marvin Austin, according to the AP.

Investigators from the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office have subpoenaed Tar Heels defensive tackle Marvin Austin, a person with knowledge of the situation said Friday.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall isn’t saying anything officially — as you might expect with an ongoing investigation — but this appears to indicate her office’s inquiry into agent dealings with Austin and other players is very much alive. The investigation was launched when the “AgentGate” scandal broke, prompting N.C. to dust off its little-used law against illegal agent activity.

It’s impossible to know, of course, whether this means that investigators have any tangible leads — or even if the probe will last beyond Marshall’s campaign for U.S. Senate. But they’re probably not subpoenaing Austin just to see how he’s doing after his suspension from the team.

North Carolina Declares Six Players Ineligible For Saturday's Game, Another Six Being Withheld

North Carolina has announced the players they'll be without for Saturday's Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic against No. 21 LSU, and while it's not 16 as some speculated, it's still a hefty loss: the 21st-ranked Tar Heels will be without the services of 12 players. Six have been declared ineligible for violating school and/or NCAA rules by the school, with another six simply being withheld as the investigations continue.

The six ineligible student-athletes include: defensive tackle Marvin Austin, cornerback Charles Brown, cornerback Kendric Burney, wide receiver Greg Little, defensive end Michael McAdoo and defensive end Robert Quinn.

Six other student-athletes who will be withheld from Saturday's game include: tailback Shaun Draughn, defensive end Linwan Euwell, safety Brian Gupton, tailback Ryan Houston, safety Da'Norris Searcy and safety Jonathan Smith.

While Marvin Austin was already suspended indefinitely, the length of time the other 11 players will miss has not yet been determined.

Report: As Many As Sixteen North Carolina Football Players To Miss Season Opener?

Take what you're about to read with about a deer lick of salt, because this is Joe Schad we're talking about, and Joe Schad's sources tend to range from "the internet" to "somebody's cousin" to "somebody else's scoop," but via Stewart Mandel, somebody, somewhere is speculating that North Carolina's going to be down quite a few bodies for Saturday's season opener:

Again, please note: Right now, we haven't seen this anywhere else but ESPN, and UNC isn't commenting on the ongoing investigation. But there it is.

Marvin Austin Suspended Indefinitely By North Carolina For 'Violation Of Team Rules'

Marvin Austin has been suspended indefinitely by North Carolina for a "violation of team rules," as ESPN's Joe Schad and Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel have tweeted. UNC itself offers a little more detail.

University of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has suspended senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin indefinitely.

"This decision is not a result of the ongoing NCAA review," says Davis. "Marvin has violated team rules and has neglected his responsibilities to the team."

Note the tricky language: Though the decision isn't a result of an ongoing NCAA investigation, Austin's involvement in the investigation or in trying to clear his name on Facebook could certainly constitute a "violation of team rules."

It's not clear how long Austin will be suspended, but he will not play Saturday against LSU.

Marvin Austin Defends Self On Facebook, Which Should Fix Everything

His potential as a high NFL draft pick entirely aside, Marvin Austin really does need an agent. Or a nanny, or a celebrity handler, or anybody who can keep him from making boneheaded decisions, which he is apparently not real good at doing on his own.

Notorious this summer for his big mouth, which brought his South Beach partying and potential NCAA regulation-violating ways to light via Twitter, Austin was already under the magnifying glass as patient zero in the pan-Carolinian agent investigation. Then he deleted his Twitter account, which clearly made everything all better, except that he then got caught up in an entirely new net after being named in UNC's ongoing academics investigation. Sunday night, Austin once again took to the internet to crow his case:

I came back to school to have my character questioned..[expletive]..i thought education was key.. I dont really understand...i though it was the right thing to do..maybe i was mistaken," the message said. "...i like to say thanx to all those who stand by me i really appriecate [sic] it. oh yea and to those who wanna see me fall i wont cause i dont great athletes stay on their feet!!!!!

That lovely missive was posted on Austin's Facebook wall. And since it teaches us nothing new, or at least doesn't seem to further violate regulations, we've got the free time to wonder what he's doing on Facebook in the first place?

Austin has not been made available to the media since the launch of the investigation. A UNC spokesman said Sunday night that Austin is "off limits" to the media but added that Austin was not asked to remove his Twitter account or refrain from posting on Facebook.

Well, of course not. Why would he be?

UNC'S Press Conference Just A Lot Of Carolina Blue Noise

By Holly Anderson

UNC's Thursday night press conference, scheduled to address reports of widespread academic malfeasance within the North Carolina football program, gave us some confirmation of suspicions, but nothing at all in the way of pertinent new information. Even for coaches and university bureaucrats, there's a stunning amount of politico-speak being bandied about here, but the entire video's available for your perusal if you feel you must view Butch Davis's face-craters for your own satisfaction.

Highlights, such as they are:

• Confirmed: We're dealing with academic misconduct involving a tutor and multiple football players.
• Confirmed: That tutor was at one point employed by the Davis family, though as an "academic coach" for Davis's son, not a nanny as previously speculated.
• Obviously, they're short on time here, and the university will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to play involved athletes in the event this investigation stretches into the season.
• Athletic director Dick Baddour gives Butch Davis the dreaded VOTE OF CONFIDENCE. Yeah, everything's gonna be fine. 
• Davis, it must be said, does a very mansome resolute jaw-clench.
• Chancellor Holden Thorp: "We still don't know the extent of it." Unsurprisingly, nor will any of them begin to speculate. Nor will they indicate how many players are involved, but it's more than one individual at risk.
• Holden Thorp, by the way, has about as punchable a face as you'd expect from a guy named "Holden Thorp."
• Thorp on UNC's academic program for athletes: "We've got a process in place that other schools ask us about." Seriously, this is as spicy as it's going to get. 
• "I think we're a little bit surprised and possibly disappointed." Davis is leaving himself a lot of room for maneuver here, possibly just to irritate everyone watching.
• Finally, Thorp is asked to elaborate on his emotional state by a reporter named Eddie, and cordially does not brain him.

So other than having a handful of suspicions confirmed, we don't know a whole lot more than we did going in. CBS Sports, however, is being fed some scary potential scenarios:

A source has also told CBSSports.com that two players, cornerbacks Charles Brown and Kendrick Burney, have already been kicked off of the football team. Additionally, the same source told CBSSports.com that "four players have been cleared and the rest are toast" -- meaning four of the defensive starters on Carolina's team.
[..]
Erin Summers of WRAL in Raleigh also reported that "it's all but four players on the starting defense who are involved in the academic infractions." The information from our source falls right in line with the -- as yet unconfirmed -- reports that the majority of the defensive starters were removed from the first team reps during Carolina's closed practice.

For more UNC news, visit SB Nation's Carolina March.

UNC Reportedly Discovers 'Academic Infractions' During Self-Imposed Investigation

When it rains, it pours (NCAA violations). In the midst of an on-going investigation into North Carolina comes this new report: according to sources, the UNC football team has discovered "academic infractions" and submitted them to the NCAA for further review.

The infractions in question stem from violations involved with a tutor, and were found during a self-imposed investigation. ESPN's Joe Schad provided more detail when tweeted Thursday afternoon that "UNC is investigating if approximately 9 players including standouts had papers written by a former tutor." Those players supposedly involved were limited to the scout team in Wednesday's practice, Schad added.

UNC was already at the center of the NCAA's Sauron-like eye before Thursday for possible contact with agents, which was made public in July.

Telephone and financial release forms were requested for the student-athletes involved, as well as text message printouts for the past year. The interviews were conducted on July 12-13.

The NCAA returned to UNC for a second round of interviews on Aug 4-5.

Three of the players involved in Tutorgate, again, according to Schad, are Marvin Austin, Bruce Carter and Robert Quinn. Austin, you may recall, has reportedly already been interviewed "about receiving gifts or extra benefits."

The school has scheduled a press conference for Thursday night at 7:30 P.M. EDT, in which Chancellor Holden Thorp, athletic director Dick Baddour and football head coach Butch Davis will appear together, and will reportedly address "all components of the investigation," according to FanHouse's Will Brinson. 

South Carolina's Weslye Saunders Drawn Into NCAA Investigation of UNC

The investigation of agents' ties to players at North Carolina has now spread to at least one other school, with South Carolina TE (and N.C. native) Weslye Saunders now a subject of the NCAA inquiry. The school is confirming the investigation, but isn't saying much. Except, as you might expect, head coach Steve Spurrier, who promises that his program will deal with (read: suspend or dismiss) any ne'er-do-wells.

"We’re not going to look the other way like possibly Southern California did. We’re going to abide by the rules."

And they say he's losing his edge.

The broadening of the investigation to include South Carolina is already leading to speculation that other schools could also find themselves snared by the Association's look-see. Note that the questions about Maurkice Pouncey, while a separate issue, adds evidence that the NCAA has decided to crack down on agents after the Reggie Bush investigation.

Which means this fun could last through the summer and beyond.

For the South Carolina side of things, be sure to keep an eye on SBN's Garnet And Black Attack. And for the UNC developments, follow Carolina March.

Tar Heels Of Interest In NCAA Investigation Include Marvin Austin, Greg Little

The NCAA's investigation of North Carolina coalesced a little over the weekend -- but only a little.

Defensive tackle Marvin Austin and wide receiver Greg Little reportedly were among those interviewed about receiving gifts or extra benefits, but little else is known since the NCAA is prohibiting school officials from publicly addressing the situation.

Austin's Twitter account had been deactivated and deleted by Friday morning.

Twitter accounts being deleted! This is getting real, y'all! Austin deleting his Twitter account will totally erase all suspicion that his recently-mentioned trip to Miami was rife with improper agent contact!

Speaking of which, don't miss this lovely parting gift, a quote from former Tar Heel Kentwan Balmer's agent Gary Wichard, who's entered the discussion as a possible suspicious player and is ever so gracefully attempting to distance himself from Austin:

“I’ve never talked to him about representing him,” Wichard said. “I've never gone down there, and I never will.”

Charming.

For more on this and all things Tar-Heelian, visit SBN's Carolina March.

North Carolina Football Program Under NCAA Investigation

UNC, hardly the highest-profile program even in the slow-zombie ACC, suddenly finds itself under some adorably nebulous investigation by the NCAA for possible violations within the football program:

"I can acknowledge that representatives from the NCAA have been to Chapel Hill to speak with some of our student-athletes," UNC athletic director Dick Baddour told Inside Carolina on Thursday afternoon.

"One of the things that they instructed us in very clearly is that we are to maintain the confidence of their visit and their review. They’ve requested that we not discuss it publicly. Obviously, we’re going to fully cooperate with the NCAA in every way that we can by making things available to them and in particular by following their instruction on discussing it publicly."

And that's about all we know so far. Joe Schad, whose sources range from "somebody's cousin" to "the internet", delivers this delightful bon mot:

By "Reggie Bush stuff," we're going to assume they don't mean "presiding over a period of unquestioned conference domination."

To get your Tar Heel fix, visit SB Nation's Carolina March.