When did Scandal become a major at UNC?

    Julius Peppers ought to sue North Carolina for carelessly allowing his transcript to become public. (If, as most of us assume, it is his transcript.)

    But Peppers shouldn't sue the school for failing to provide a college education. He and the Tar Heels cut a deal long before he became a college athlete.

     The deal: You're the best high school athlete in the state. We, North Carolina, would love you, Julius, to represent us on the field and the basketball court. And if you want to be a student, that's fine, too.

     Meanwhile, we'll hide you in African Studies and Afro-American Studies. We're taking orders now. You want A's or B's?

     Most large schools have programs in which they stash athletes, and some small schools do, too.

     It's as foolish to believe that every athlete can cut it academically as it is to believe that every non-athlete can. The difference is that most non-athletes can't get past admissions.

     That other schools do it in no way excuses North Carolina. The sleaze that encompasses the  football program is such that when visitors get home they want to shower twice.

      North Carolina has so many problems it's as if it collects them.When did the scandals begin, and how deep do they go?

      Some fans defend the school, blame the media, contend the transgressions are all minor. Besides, they claim, everybody does it, especially N.C. State. Many of these fans have never been in Chapel Hill.

      I respect the fans who, while passionate about their school's athletics, did not go to North Carolina to watch games.

       I respect the alumni who value their degrees, understand that the ongoing scandal cheapens them and hope to find a reason to again be proud of their school.

Comments

[Lee Fowler]

What do Tar Heel fans and Wolfpack fans have in common?

...neither attended UNC.

[Wal-mart competitor]

Very good article, Tom.

[John W.]

I have faith in people.

I believe most people of average intelligence are capable of compartmentalizing academic transgressions related to athletics and true academic scandal.

Most people understand the difference. Some people choose to conflate the two, or ignore the differences.

Many of those people went to NC State.

And some of them buy their ink by the barrel and monitor website hits like its their job (because it is).

[BubbaCunningham]

Lee Fowler,

What do UNC students and nc state students have in common?

.....both got into nc state

[Doovall]

I love the smell of denial in the morning...

[MWorth]

Tom,

You have some nerve beating up on UNC in between your weekly gushing pieces on Cam Newton.

Why don't you take a look at Cam's transcripts before casting stones? UF booted Newton for things far worse than anything Peppers did at UNC.

[Wayne]

Well written Tom. All sports fans are responsible for this broad based problem. MONEY,MONEY,MONEY will continue to feed the problem and everyone knows it. It just aint fair these student-athletes go out and make millions while never studying anything other than a play book. Nothing but hypocrites out there. Oh, wait, what time does the game start?

[This Shouldnt be an Issue]

Sports is for entertainment purposes only. Some students are meant to entertain and some are meant to create vaccines. Just because Penn State let a pedophile run their program doesnt mean we need to bother our graduated althetes. Fix problems from top down not down up. Julius is at the bottom of the pecking order. Penn State engaged in physical abuse. I dont think Peppers is a victim of physical abuse by authorities.

[Scott]

I love how UNC fans still try to downplay this whole major scandal. Sounds very much like Penn State fans. While not to the same level I can't wait for the NCAA to come back and drop the hammer on UNC, take away there 2 most recent basketball national championships and clean house of the athletic dept.

[terry brown]

Coach Joe got what he deserved, since he thought he was God and couldn't be touched.It has been widely known for some time among the ACC coaches that UNC was getting students that couldn't pass "any" class. After all they, visited these kids homes too and knew "they" couldn't get them in their college classes at their universities. As for Cam, those who have complained are jealous of his natural ablilty. Peppers never said a word here publicly, now we know why. Way to go Tom! Say it like it is. Terry

[HAve2650]

Why are you bringing NC State into the conversation?

Roy neglects to to accept that academic integrity is an issue at UNC. Now you're basically just saying that UNC is at the same level as other institutions that (to my knowledge) have never created imaginary courses, if not majors, to cram athletes into.

This whole ordeal is turning college athletics, and now the media, into a tragic circus.

[Chuck Walker]

"Well written Tom. All sports fans are responsible for this broad based problem. MONEY,MONEY,MONEY will continue to feed the problem and everyone knows it. It just aint fair these student-athletes go out and make millions while never studying anything other than a play book. Nothing but hypocrites out there. Oh, wait, what time does the game start?"

Please. Sports fans did not make the powers that be at UNC create fraudulent classes, steer their athletes into a sham major, alter grades without instructors' permission or knowledge, or any of the host of other shady things they did. And when found out, these same powers did nothing but deflect and deny.

And this is not a broad based problem. It happened in Chapel Hill. Stop trying to pretend this happens everywhere, because it doesn't. It's like saying "Everybody speeds" when you've been caught drunk, doing 90 in a school zone, driving a truck full of dynomite.

[Ben]

The reason that ABCers are coming down so hard on UNC fans is simple: For years and years, UNC fans stuck their noses in the air and trumpeted Dean Smith's "Carolina Way", with athletic excellence and "we graduate a high percentage" of our athletes. Those people never realized that their dumb jocks was just as dumb as dumb jocks on other campuses, but managed to graduate because of inferior academic requirements and madeforjocks classes.

At least Carolina fans have their noses out of the air now.

[james davenport]

So most folks repling to this story seem to think it's O.K that their star athletic players cheated and got their "sheepskin" by taking classes that a kindergardener could also make "A's"in. Guess that is the carolina way

[With Held]

I agree with your article.

For people like Peppers who really do not care about a college degree, why don't schools create a "professional sports" major where they teach the student athletes how to deal with fans and the press, how to make and manage endorsements, how to manage money, how to invest money, etc. There are a lot of subjects and skills that can/should be taught to prospective professional athletes that would actually benefit them even if they did not make it in professional sports.

[Wayne]

You are right, not everyone speeds that is driving a truck full of dynamite drunk 90 miles an hour in a school zone full of dynamite. This only happens in Chapel Hill, and if the stadium is empty there would be no scandals. Sorry, my bad!

[Wayne]

I agree with 99.9999% of all of Toms articles and like his writing very much. When I say well written,I agree with him. Even though I beleive it has been going on for a long time and at plenty of other schools it does not excuse it by any meens.
Big time sports and the demand for success is driven by one the alumni and fans.

[Clay]

Why is any of this new, happens all the time. My college roomate worked his buns off for a B in an engineering class and a basketball player in the class who was dumb as a rock also comes up with a B. Ummmmmmm

[Tim Collie]

Tom,
the issue is how UNC alum and fans always claim they were above the fray with the "Carolina Way" and it turns out to be 180 degrees false

[John]

UNC-CH: The most corrupt athletics and administrative entities within the NCAA. CONgratulations!

[Bizz]

Hey UNC fans....PEPPERS DID NOT GRADUATE. Follow your team off the field and things like this might not happen. Don't just collect the "W's" while waiting in line for the new pair of Jordans to come out.

[Carolina]

The UNC Board of Governors made sure NC State basketball was thtletord. The got rid of the basketball coach, the AD and the Chancellor and brought in Carolina friendlies to make sure it was a 20 year death march at a minimum. They even brought in a Unc-Cheats grad as Athletic Director. They had all the nation thinking ..NC State pushed out the outstanding man that is working hard to defeat cancer or this man that died a cancer fighting organization in his name. It was not even close to the crooked ways of Butch Davis who has heard NOTHING from the Board of Governors. Sure Butch barely knew John Blake who he coached in high school, coached arm-in-arm with the Cowboys and hired as Associate HEAD Coach and he barely knew Miss Wiley who he hired to tutor his own son in the Davis home, and he barely knew Agent runner Chris Hawkins who he coached at Unc-CHeats.I know the Board of Governors and the NC Secretary of State are about to look into those 216 phone records from Butch's private phone, where he used to conduct Unc-Cheater business with .calls that are supposedly public property subject to the same standards as those if he'd been using the free cell phone and free use of that phone, he was given. Let me know when they look into those records that will show Butch Davis knew much more than he claims.

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