Former North Carolina associate football coach John Blake called friend and sports agent Gary Wichard 151 times between Nov. 5, 2009 and June 22, 2010.
According to phone records from Blake’s university-issued cell phone, the coach communicated with Wichard for three or more minutes via the two men’s cell phones 70 times during that time.
The NCAA, which on June 21 notified the University of its review, requested evidence including phone records to determine whether football players had improper contact with agents.
Wichard represents former Tar Heel and NFL player Kentwan Balmer and has long been friends with Blake, who resigned Sunday amid speculation of his involvement with the NCAA investigation.
As well as being close friends with Wichard, Blake was also under his employ for a brief period in the 1990s after his stint as head coach of the University of Oklahoma.
“When you are unemployed, you do whatever you can do to try to provide for your family,” UNC coach Butch Davis said Tuesday before practice. “That was the option that John got involved with: sports camps, running camps, tutoring young high school kids. That was just the decision he made for that time in his life.”
Athletic director Dick Baddour said Blake’s resignation on Sunday was not a surprise.
“He and I had talked at the end of the week, and he had at least raised the issue or the possibility at that time,” Baddour said. “And he had indicated to me if his presence was a distraction for the team, then he wanted to consider that.”
On Jan. 2, then-juniors Marvin Austin, Kendric Burney, Bruce Carter, Quan Sturdivant and Deunta Williams announced they would return to UNC for their senior season.
