Five years ago, UNC declared its commitment to football with the hiring of superstar head coach Butch Davis. Since then, Tar Heel nation has gotten a taste of both the positive and negative aspects that often accompany the ambition to become a power player in college football.
On the one hand, the miserable memories of two- and three-win seasons now seem distant in the wake of three consecutive eight-win seasons. And, to borrow from an old adage, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, the outcome of the 2010 football season would likely have seemed like Christmas to the UNC faithful.
But this was not to be, as the 2010 season was plagued by the consequences of NCAA rules violations committed by members of the football program.
Last week, the NCAA ended the investigative portion of its inquiry into these improprieties and handed down its findings.
The allegations are a stinging blow to the integrity Tar Heels have long held paramount to the “Carolina Way.” But the circumstances have also provided an opportunity to fix a flawed system and forge a stronger football program.
By proactively withholding 13 athletes suspected of wrongdoing from competition and cooperating fully with the NCAA during its investigation, Chancellor Holden Thorp, athletic director Dick Baddour and Davis demonstrated their willingness to make tough decisions that will ultimately be in the best interests of UNC football.
But the University must also do a better job of preemptively mitigating the unique set of risks that come with the development of a dominant football program, such as impermissible benefits from agents and issues of academic dishonesty.
To this end, athletes are now required to complete a sign-out sheet before leaving campus for 24 hours or more. Oversight measures such as this will ensure that coaches and administrators can adequately keep track of athletes, which will be more critical than ever, given the near certainty of probation as one form of punishment.
In addition, the athletics department has beefed up efforts to educate players about the rules surrounding impermissible benefits.
