MOBILE, Ala. – As former North Carolina safety Da’Norris Searcy practiced for the Senior Bowl on Monday, he said he will have nothing to hide from NFL scouts when they ask about the three games he missed in connection with the NCAA’s investigation of the Tar Heels’ program.
Searcy said he was held out as a precaution in the academic portion of the probe; the school has acknowledged academic misconduct on the part of a former university tutor who also worked for coach Butch Davis.
Ultimately, Searcy said, he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
“Like I told them [the NCAA] going in, I’m going to tell y’all the truth and the honest truth,” Searcy said, “and in the end they saw that I was telling the truth, and I didn’t have anything to do with it, and I was cleared.”
He was one of 14 players to miss at least one game in the probe of impermissible benefits and academic misconduct in the program; seven players missed the entire season.
Searcy said he didn’t fault UNC officials. He said they didn’t want to put the team in jeopardy of having to forfeit games for using an ineligible player.
But he said he knew he didn’t do anything wrong.
“When they finally realized that and cleared me, it was just like water under the bridge,” Searcy said. “I just went out there and played.”
Searcy and former Tar Heel teammate Kendric Burney are preparing for the Senior Bowl, which will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday and televised by the NFL Network.
Former N.C. State linebacker Nate Irving also will play in the game.
Joseph Person (reporting from Mobile, Ala.) and Ken Tysiac
Monday, January 24, 2011
Searcy says he was cleared in UNC probe
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5 comments:
Good to hear for Da'Norris. I think it is important to understand which players were cleared and which were not. Obviously, he missed games that he should not have missed...but the school did the correct thing there. UNC should do the courtesy (with the blessing from the NCAA) of issuing a release for any more players like him, who were held out but cleared.
UNC football - everything about it, surrounding it, etc... is like watching an episode of cops.
First - the cameras are rolling and documenting a crime. When the police step in to make the arrest, the same individual taped committing the crime is claiming innocence.
In other words, UNC football is LIES. Just lies.
Cheer up 6:06...NC State just booked their highest rated recruit yet...so good in fact that no other BCS schools offered him!
Anon 6:06,
You are such a crock of $hi+; it would serve no purpose for him to lie.
UNC can't release academic information about students; however, I don't know if they can state which were cleared completely or not.
I'm glad Searcy made his case and I'm glad he's taking the high road; for him to acknowledge that he understands what UNC had to do regarding him and he has no bitterness towards the school is a great example of most of the student athletes there. Yes, I said most of them, just like most of the student athletes at other ACC schools.
Most do the right thing. Good job Da'Norris, good luck this weekend and good luck in the NFL.
UNC-CHeat: The most corrupt athletics, administration and BOG in the nation. CONgratulations!
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