Two UNC greats hope everyone learns from football investigation
Posted June 23, 2011 6:38 p.m. EDT
People are still reacting to the notice of the allegations against the UNC football program arrived Tuesday.
The NCAA believes the team had several violations involving academic misconduct, improper benefits, and a former assistant coach who worked for an agent.
Those close to the UNC system also have their feelings about the allegations against and misconduct within the football program.
Bill Friday served as President of the UNC System for 30 years and many could argue that nobody loves the UNC System and higher education more than him.
During his time he is largely credited with helping build one of the strongest higher education systems in the country.
For Friday, the NCAA accusations at one of the flagship schools hurt.
“It’s been a difficult time but like good North Carolinians we’ve admitted we’ve made the mistake,” said Friday. “Now let’s move on.”
Friday says he supports the way Chancellor Holden Thorp has handled the situation, and trusts Thorp's judgment when it comes to head Coach Butch Davis, a man Friday says he's never met.
“My position is one of supporting Chancellor Thorp because I believe his heart is in the right place,” said Friday. “I think he’s trying to do what’s right. And I think he will.”
The longtime voice of the Tar Heels who recently retired, Woody Durham, agrees.
“The university is already working hard to get it corrected and I don’t think any school in the history of the NCAA which has been investigated has cooperated as fully as Carolina has cooperated,” said Durham.
Durham says never in the history of the program have the Tar Heels had so many high profile players to worry about.
“I think Dick Baddour said at the very outset of this that we’ve got to do a better job, Carolina’s got to do a better job, of treating those athletes and making them much more aware,” said Durham.
Friday believes the pressure to win is hurting schools across the Country.
“So I’m saying to all sports fan,” Friday said, “let’s stop and pause where we are. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s happened here and let’s resolve that we are never going to let anything like this ever happen again.”
He says now is the time to move forward and prepare to deal with any possible penalty as UNC is now in the process of responding to the NCAA and has a hearing scheduled for October.
Even so, Friday says he does not think the focus on academics has been lost at Carolina.
