The UNC Sports Scandals
The following entry was written by Joe Mavretic, former Speaker of the NC House and NC SPIN panelist:
" There is no need for internal investigations, or for assistant coaches to resign, to determine who is responsible for the damage to the flagship's reputation. There are three university employees whose job is to ensure that calamities like this NEVER happen. Those three employees are the head football coach, the athletic director and the chancellor. These three persons have the authority, and the responsibility, to prevent athletic scandals and they failed.
"It does not matter how they failed, why they failed or who caused them to fail-THEY FAILED! If the Board of Governors and the Trustees want to send an unmistakable message to the university system of North Carolina and set a national precedent for the way these embarrassments should be handled, then the head football coach, the athletic director and the chancellor must be replaced FOR CAUSE. The following entry was written by Joe Mavretic, former House Speaker and NC SPIN panelist:
“If this flagship university actually has a national reputation for academic integrity, any less severe action in this matter sets the precedent for how much damage these three can do for sport's money."
" There is no need for internal investigations, or for assistant coaches to resign, to determine who is responsible for the damage to the flagship's reputation. There are three university employees whose job is to ensure that calamities like this NEVER happen. Those three employees are the head football coach, the athletic director and the chancellor. These three persons have the authority, and the responsibility, to prevent athletic scandals and they failed.
"It does not matter how they failed, why they failed or who caused them to fail-THEY FAILED! If the Board of Governors and the Trustees want to send an unmistakable message to the university system of North Carolina and set a national precedent for the way these embarrassments should be handled, then the head football coach, the athletic director and the chancellor must be replaced FOR CAUSE. The following entry was written by Joe Mavretic, former House Speaker and NC SPIN panelist:
“If this flagship university actually has a national reputation for academic integrity, any less severe action in this matter sets the precedent for how much damage these three can do for sport's money."
Posted by NC Blogger at 9/9/2010 4:36 PM 
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: football UNC college sports sports University of North Carolina
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: football UNC college sports sports University of North Carolina
Stronger voices like Speaker Mavretic's are needed on this. Hopefully this will just be the first of many North Carolina politicos who speak out and demand accountability at UNC-CH
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I agree with Mr. Mavretic! I think athletics is a great part of our human lives!! We all need to get off the couch, stop watching all the Hollywood like hoopla and play ourselves. All major sports (esp the NFL and NBA)need to fund a minor league like baseball and stop using the University systems as farm clubs. The Universities need to stand up, get smart and stop being used. Let athletes who really don't want to be in college and want to play professional ball play, get paid in the respective minor league; and then if good enough, get called up to the Big Show. Is New Orleans upset with Reggie Bush???? Will the NFL diminish his pay or playing time?? The Olympics and world championships (currently basketball) for the most part are played by professional athletes now. It's all about the MONEY and the NFL and NBA are getting a big bargain!!!
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Great article and on target! Good leadership should very well know what is going on among the ranks!
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I agree. UNC has skated for decades. What I don't understand is why UNC BB is not being investigated. UNC BB players have for years driven new $40K - $100K cars and had parents with incomes of less than $50K a year living in $300K - $500K houses while their kids were at UNC. I also find it amazing that NO UNC player has ever had to sit out a semester of leave school due to academics. But, I guess that is the UNC Way ----- rest of us are just stupid.
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You hit the nail squarely on the head about the cars and houses and academics !UNC isn't by itself in the broad scope of things .I had a post in another venue that stated almost all of your major universities skirt the rules and your booster clubs only add to the problem where winning at all costs is the only thing on their agenda !It doen't seem to matter if the only thing a student got right on the SAT was his name .If he could run the ball or hit threes effectively ,bam he gets a full ride and takes basketweaving as his major . That's what is wrong with big time college sports .
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'The Harvard of the South', 'The Public Ivy League School' ???? Not if UNC allows its political might, money, overextended BOG control, and decades long stranglehold on the media, spin this into the ether as they are clearly attempting. The stink of this is reaching high heaven and is no loner relegated to just the school in Chapel Hill........it is migrating as an indictment of ineptitude to the entire University of North Carlina School System.
Should UNC truly elect to rectify its situation and endeavor to return to its prior status (real or imagined) it most have the courage of its convictions, and the character of its own honor code, and rid itself of those that are clearly at fault for gross negligence and incompetence. There is no plausible deniability.
The B.O.G. owes this not only to its 'flagship university' but to all of its member institutions.
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Mr. Mavretic, I agree with your "cut to the chase" position. Where is your same outrage for your fellow Democrats in the SBI, namely, Ms. Pendergraft, who has not been fired, merely transferred. Her apparently criminal mismanagement has directly caused innocent people to spend yrs in jail. So, you're saying "don't mess with my crooked FB coach/ university, but look the other way on a criminal Democrat caused scandal"?
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I agree with the former Speaker, There is nothing that happens in or around a football program that the HEAD COACH does not know about or cause.
Furthermore, these STUDENTS are roll models to our children, they should be thought Ethics in direct relation to their INTEGRITY. I believe that when they are found guilty of cheating, they should be required to repay the Scholarship funds that have been provided to them by the GOOD people of the GREAT NORTH STATE. This opportunity was for an Education, to rise them up from impoverished communities and backgrounds. A hand up, not a HAND OUT.
In adding to that, any Athlete that (GO's Professional)before obtaining his or her degree, should pay back their tuition within a pre-described time period.
Thank you
A proud North Carolinian
Mark Elliott
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Why is UNC sidestepping the issue? Joe is right to send the proper message Davis,Baddour and Thorpe should be terminated.UNC academic integrity is at stake.If they do not do the right thing and fire these three how are they going to keep top flight faculty,acquire research grant funds and compete for the best out of state students with this scandal in the forefront?I am pleased that Joe Mavretic has come out and urged action by UNC.I enjoy collegiate athletics as much as anyone but UNC cannot let the tail wag the dog.
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Butch says that he is taking responsibility for the actions of his players and coaching staff.My be he did not have knowledge of the money trail,
lets give him that.
What about the cheating, thats a separate issue, and it just so happens
that this Tutor had worked for the DAVIS family, how is it that it seems
all of the allegation stem around this person. wheres the money trail on this?
Lets put scholar back in scholarship!
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