UNC officials followed minutes later as the school is facing charges of nine major violations and will defend itself in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions today.
Blake, charged with three of those violations, will present his defense in an effort to prevent an NCAA “show cause order” that could impose limitations that would make it difficult for an NCAA school to hire him.
Chancellor Holden Thorp and departing athletic director Dick Baddour are among at least six individuals representing UNC at the hearing. ACC commissioner John Swofford and associate commissioner for compliance Shane Lyons walked into the meeting room along with the UNC contingent at 8:18 a.m., 12 minutes before the hearing was supposed to start.
The NCAA enforcement staff will present its case and those in attendance will have an opportunity to defend themselves. Former tutor Jennifer Wiley, charged with providing improper academic assistance, will not attend. Neither will Butch Davis, the former UNC head coach who was fired in July but was not personally cited and was not requested to attend.
Blake and his lawyers left the hearing room at 9 a.m., but lawyer Wade Smith said they are expected to return to the hearing. Asked what he hopes to achieve from attending the NCAA hearing, Blake replied, briefly, to reporters: "The truth."
UNC has self imposed sanctions including two years of probation, vacating wins from the 2008 and 2009 seasons, and reducing scholarships by three in each of the next three years. Fourteen players missed at least one game and seven missed the entire season in 2010 in connection with the investigation.
Officials at UNC hope the Committee on Infractions won’t add to the penalties already imposed. But in major cases in recent years, Florida State, Southern California, Georgia Tech and Boise State all have been disappointed and appealed the committee’s decisions.
The appeals of Florida State and Southern California were denied; Georgia Tech's and Boise State’s are still pending.
NCAA spokeswoman Stacey Osburn said this morning that the Committee on Infractions can be expected to issue its findings within eight to 12 weeks.
Ken Tysiac
Posts
4 comments:
All those lawyers for doing nothing wrong. Make sense?
Anus Protectus for all involved and accused. The Tar Heel family is deeply disturbed of the accusations that are being tossed and know that the NCAA will let bygones be bygones. Hopefully, Swofford will get the new $2000 stipend retroactive to apply towards the benefits received by the misguided youths.
I'm curious, 9:29. If you're ever accused of a crime you didn't commit, will you represent yourself at trial? Yeah, didn't think so.
P.S.: Not a Carolina fan, and I think they're guilty as hell.
This cannot really work, I feel so.
Post a Comment