As any taxpayer should, I follow the ever-expanding athletic/academic scandal at UNC with great interest. I personally believe that the reporter Dan Kane is demonstrating a rare skill in this day in age: True investigative journalism. I applaud his work and truthfully, he should be on his way to a Pulitzer for his work.
A common theme over at the N&O is for each story that is published online, a flurry of Comments roll in. And when you read them, it is clear that there is no shortage of UNC apologists still out there defending this disaster of a scandal to the end.
Now, obviously, the UNC apologists are a one of four factions that have emerged. First there is the ABC crowd, relishing in the exposure of an arrogant UNC institution willing to screw Joe Public to have their way. Then there are angry taxpayers who are witnessing the abuses of tax dollars that are ongoing at UNC. Then there are the many UNC alums and supporters who have had enough of this and want it fixed, no matter the harm done to UNC brand. And then there are the UNC apologists who – in the face of a mountain of evidence exposing their beloved university for what it truly is (a win-at-all-costs university) – continue to defend the indefensible.
It is this last group that astonishes me. In this recent offering, Meeting minutes don’t confirm Martin report in UNC academic fraud scandal the comments are again filled with UNC supporters who try to divert the conversation in any way possible, may taking aim at the N&O reporter (I know, kill the Messenger).
Sigh…these posts ripping this reporter or defending this university and its criminal supporters, reveal that there are a ton of people out there that have no desire to know the truth and underscores the very issue going on at UNC. The desire to be able to say how great UNC is overshadows the point of college athletics in the first place. Why would you want to “win” if victory is bought? Cheated for? I don’t understand your ilk. Jump the reporter, right? Good Lord, you would hope that the highly-regarded J school at UNC would be holding this reporter up as an example of what should be done. Investigative journalists should investigate to find the truth. No matter how long it takes, no matter what the end. You rip this guy yet, outside of that bubble around UNC (and I include all of the UNC grad-dominated news outlets in NC) real investigative journalists with no skin in this game, applaud this man’s work. Why? Because this scandal stinks to high heaven and now with the Martin report included, has all the elements of a freakin’ international spy thriller. Good ol boys flexing every muscle possible – financial, political, academic, legal, etc. – to ensure that UNC is protected and for what? Really…at the end of the day, for what? So a bunch of fat cats with UNC ties can rib their other fat cat friends over whether or not UNC is better than State or Duke? Really…? Pathetic on all counts.
That Gov. Martin would expand this disgrace to the highest level, demonstrating that his title can be purchased by his UNC cronies to lend some perceived legitimacy to UNC crafted story, is a complete slap in the face to NC taxpayers. Outside of North Carolina, people must be thinking, “What kind of state are you guys living in?” That this much energy and money would be poured into trying to cover up this disgrace is telling given some of the dire needs that exist in the state. What price glory?
I think we know – at least to the UNC apologists, the BOT, the BOG, the former Governor, the Chancellor, and frankly any alum that supports this approach. If you love your university, start with honesty, followed by some humility, so remorse, and then maybe some determination to make things better…make things right. Bet many of the people behind this tuck their children in to story of honesty, doing the right thing, and you know…’it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”. Alas, they cannot bring themselves to live by what they preach.
And for the real kick in the ass from all of this. Not only should the NC taxpayers be able to receive compensation for this crime (and it is a crime), the behavior of the UNC brass (BOG, BOT, legislature etc.), to me legitimizes the many decades of concerns expressed by the Pirate Nation that UNC and its powerful tentacles will stop at nothing to effect desired outcomes. Think back to Leo Jenkins’ days at ECU. We all know what the UNC cartel did in regards to the Med School…what else has been done? Is ECU due reparations? Seems to me that when Kane finishes this one, perhaps he should begin investigating what other matters the UNC cartel has been concerned with over the years?
Just curious.
A Port of the Pirate Nation 
Humility? Anyone associated with the holes have no grasp whatsoever on what that is. The fans, the admin, the alums.. None of them have a majority that wants to know the truth if it exposes anything negative. Then theres Coach Holland, who tries to nip every issue in the bud. I’d like to see a study done on the cleanest programs in the country. ECU would have to be on the list. TH is straight up toafault, but unfortunately a dying breed. I’d like to read the next entry from you be on replacing Terry Holland. It’s the biggest decision, maybe ever at ECU given the current environment in college athletics.
Hi Chris…glad to hear from you!
You are spot on IMO on Terry Holland. I am lost at the moment as to who I would like to see – composite or a real name. Would love to have a Holland like guy in there, but feel we need a guy who has already built a lot of capital in the AD ranks to thrive at ECU. We don’t need anything short of a seasoned pro. Beyond that…still giving thought to it.
Have a great New Year! 2013 brings more hope for a brighter ECU future.
Someone recently commented in the N and O about the very same angle:
“Good Piece Ned but there is something very big at play here that is keeping UNC from doing the right thing and coming clean…$$$…more specifically, the UNC brand built up over the years is worth far too much to throw away; even if it means sacrificing academic reputation. Winning at least two basketball national championships via cheating rocketed the brand to high earning status; licensing light blue gear and lucrative contracts with Nike, Jordan Brand and ESPN have paid off handsomely. Blatant, systematic and carefully orchestrated cheating helped UNC bring in some of the best athletes available, especially in basketball. Strictly from a business model, the risk was worth taking until now.
UNC is keenly aware of the brand value, so much so, an institution that likes to tout itself a “public Ivy” has chosen to publicly declare this was an academic scandal, but not an athletic scandal. Think about that for a minute…UNC has chosen to throw the very essence of its existence (being a top flight university) under the bus in a poor attempt to preserve its men’s basketball program titles and legacy of Dean Smith. The strategy from their perspective is simple; they have already been exposed for the phony classes, forged grades and watered down curriculum so it can’t get any worse. This spectacle drawn up by their PR firm Thursday tried to make this the end all…”boy we really messed up and learned from this and it won’t happen again…we’ve taken incredible measures to ensure this never happens again”. It failed, miserably. It left more and newer
questions than answers. Everybody listening knew these things already; what was expected and never came was “who orchestrated this scandal”, “which athletes had their grades forged and took the phony classes” and “why would Crowder and Nyang’oro be motivated to do this”? If Martin gave honest
answers (to which I believe he has the answers) it would bring an end to the UNC brand be catastrophic for UNC athletics.
Getting back to your opening: “The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Those words evoke strong feelings in North Carolinians, no matter where they went to school. And, athletic rivalries aside, the first of those feelings is pride.
My opinion is that Governor Martin, a life-long civil servant to our fine state agrees with your statement; UNC is very important to our state’s identity and reputation. My opinion is that Martin loves North Carolina dearly and feels it’s best to put this UNC scandal in the past as quickly as possible and that’s why he went along with this. But UNC’s basketball program has somehow overtaken the school’s identity. Yes, scholarly folks will nod UNC is an important house of learning but in this state and across the country when you say UNC, most people think of Michael Jordan and the basketball team that has enjoyed tremendous success for a very long time. The UNC brand has nothing to do with football…everyone knows that. It’s all about the Final 4 teams and National Championships.
Nothing would be more devastating to UNC than having to take down a few National Championship banners. It would put them in the same bracket as
cheaters like Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds. UNC fans and alum want to enjoy the steak but don’t want to hear how the cow died…the fabled “Carolina Way” in this comparison would have you believe they only eat steak from cows that lived good, full lives and died of natural causes. Taking down banners would be the ultimate punishment to these people; it would kill the brand, halt recruiting and absolutely tear the hearts out of alum. The mark left would last for decades and simply be unbearable for the haughty crowd from Chapel Hill.
Given what’s at stake, the truth will be very hard to come to without extreme measures such as a legislative hearing where the likes of Crowder, Nyang’oro, Thorpe, Wayne Walden, Jenifer Wiley, Roy Williams and Steve Kirschner would have to choose under oath between continuing this charade and facing real jail time. I sincerely hope this whitewash sham Martin so foolishly signed off on is insulting enough to our new Governor and NC State Senate to finally tell UNC official their games are over and it’s time to finally get to the bottom of this.
This is not about academics; it’s about money and pride in a basketball program.
That post is so on the mark I got nothing to add. Thanks UV for sharing.
we don’t need to worry about another schools problems right now we’ve got a decision to make with this football program soon or we will continue on a downward spiral. for this hc to ignore the problem ECU has on the defensive side of the field is amazing. hc means you have to make tough decisions sometime. the coaching on this defense is atrocious, and if he does not recognize the problem, he should not be hc.ECU has not beaten an average football team in two years. we should be striving for excellence and it seems that the powers that be are just holding their breath hoping things will get better…now we are trying to coat-tail into a better conference instead of leading with a strong team that any conference would welcome. many ECU supporters are shaking their heads wondering why this is not being addressed.
Thanks for dropping in rc…definitely get your point on the pressing issues right now.
Defense is a huge black hole right now and must be addressed. I agree that the microscope is/should be on Ruff. I have said before that Ruff is a HC learning on the job and we are seeing his first real test of his abilities. Easy to feel the love from a starving fanbase, but now comes the hard part…coaching decisions.
Face it, Ruff was never going to bring in big time/seasoned coaches when he first came in…he couldn’t afford to have a wise man in the crew should things not go well in his debut as a head coach. This is why Wiley was not the DC.
But now, as we saw with Doll being added (who I think has been very good in his capacity), the need is for veteran DC to be installed. I read between the lines here and feel that Ruff knows that he has a problem but may not have the intestinal fortitude to pull the trigger. Of course, the “who” for DC is only one part of it. There are other aspects, too, like recruiting. Is the defense being considered during recruiting or is it truly an issue of lack of ability to ID and attract the right players? Do we have under-utilized talent on the defense and is it completely strategic blunders? How involved with the defense is Ruff?
This year, there was NO EXCUSE for the defense to fail so miserably. Our offense was more of a ball control offense so the D got plenty of “rest” before each time out. Our kids looked confused more than athletically out-classed, IMO.
If Ruff is going to make a move, it needs to be almost immediately after the final whistle of the NC game. Should have been sooner, so I am thinking nothing changes and Ruff is risking it all for next season by putting loyalty to an individual ahead of loyalty to the program. He has an 8-5 team returning virtually everyone and will be expected to be competitive. Big gamble IMO. We have seen how effective a first year DC – the right DC – can be by way of Larry Coyer’s massive impact on the program under Coach Logan. It is possible for us to have an abrupt rise in defensive efficiency in one off-season, but we have to make the change to do so.
Perhaps something is brewing over in the coaches offices at ECU, but from my vantage point, I expect BM will be back without changes.
Go Pirates, Go!
thanks for your reply Pharma, i believe you were on the money when you described the defensive players as being confused. i agree that it is not the players as much as the lack of knowledge of the coaches. they are not armed with the correct technique to execute a proper defensive plan. in other words they are destroyed by a lack of knowledge…instead of the fans getting excited before the game,everyone is wondering if the defense will give up 50 or 60 points. something needs to be done by this administration before more fans continue to disappear. winning brings the crowds, losing keeps them away! without a coaching change we may never beat another good football team.
surprise Pharma, two years too late but finally a much needed change of the dc. half the job is done, now we need a new hc…if we are not going to have the guts to make this change for the benefit of the program… at least hire an associate hc to run the football program… let Ruff be a figure-head. it is time to get this football team moving in the right direction after three years in the wrong direction.
So…any early candidates on your wish list for DC?
I haven’t taken a look around yet. Would love to have a vet coach but not sure what we will be able to afford.
According to my neighbor, on the 6pm news Brian Bailey, the CBS sportscaster in town, said that Greg Hudson had expressed interest in the job. I haven’t been able to confirm that, but have seen articles saying he was being overlooked at FSU and may be looking to move. One article was even rumoring he may be rejoining Skip at L-Tech. This was before Mitchell was let go. Nothing about ECU yet, but everything I have found suggests a situation that could lead to him coming back. Let’s keep our fingers crossed… Lincoln’s offense and Hudson’s defense… that would be a good dream!! A VERY GOOD DREAM!!!!
I agree…would love to have Hudson back. I expect his name will surface in other searches. Has Georgia Tech determined their next DC?
I am doing a post on some names…
I like Hud’s defense with this year’s Riley offense. Could be a winner.
Stay tuned!
Cheers.