UNC crosses another hurdle in investigation

INDIANAPOLIS – University of North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp and departing athletics director Dick Baddour left today’s NCAA Committee on Infractions hearing grateful that they are near the end of an investigation that began in June of 2010.

Thorp and Baddour were among at least six individuals representing UNC in the hearing on the nine major violations the NCAA alleges against the school. In a written response to the NCAA last month, UNC officials agreed with the NCAA on most of the allegations but contested a charge of failing to monitor social media, saying that NCAA legislation didn’t require it.

UNC has self imposed sanctions including two years of probation, vacating wins from 2008 and 2009, and reducing scholarships by three each in the next three seasons. The Committee on Infractions can add to those penalties, and its final decision is expected in eight to 12 weeks.

“I think we feel good about the opportunity we had to make our case today and about the hard work we put into getting ready for today,” Thorp said after the hearing. “So while we’d love to get the decision as soon as possible, I think today was a huge, huge milestone. We’re grateful to get past it.”

The hearing was closed to the media, and the NCAA prohibits the accused from talking about the proceedings. NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said the NCAA will have no comment on the case until the infractions committee issues its findings.

Baddour is stepping down next month to let his successor, Bubba Cunningham, take office and hire a head football coach. Baddour said that since the investigation of impermissible benefits and academic fraud began, he had been determined to help UNC improve.

“The issue is, as we said from the beginning, how do we get better as a result of what’s happened,” Baddour said. “And we are well on the way, as we were from day one, to putting the things in place to make sure that we got better, that we had better procedures, that we were looking at our academic support program. That’s what I’ve been focused on, and I know that’s what Bubba will be focused on.”

Ken Tysiac