UNC will go quiet after practice starts

North Carolina's football team, with new interim head coach Everett Withers at the helm, will open fall practice as scheduled.


But don't expect to hear anything from them publicly for about six days after that.

Although Friday's first workout will be open to the media for about 45 minutes, and several players will be available afterward, UNC's practices will then be closed and the Tar Heels will not be available to talk to the media until the following Thursday.

"We're trying to let the team have a week to practice with Coach Withers, and be around him and the coaching style as a head coach before we open up to media requests every day,'' team spokesman Kevin Best explained. "The team's been through a lot, and we want them to enjoy training camp and football."

The players report on Thursday, and they return to Chapel Hill with their program in a far different situation than when they left it.. Withers was hired Thursday, a day Butch Davis -- who was set to begin his fifth season -- was fired as head coach. Athletics director Dick Baddour has resigned, although he will stay on until a successor is found.

And school officials have an October date with the NCAA Committee on Infractions, which is expected to eventually dole out penalties. A year ago, the NCAA began investigating allegations of academic misconduct and impermissible benefits in the program

Robbi Pickeral