The NCAA sent a notice of allegations to UNC on Tuesday, outlining a litany of “potential major” violations it states the football program committed, which include improper academic assistance from a tutor, impermissible benefits to players and failures of institutional oversight.
The 26-page notice came one year to the day after the NCAA began its investigation into the UNC program, and provides a detailed listing of nine infractions committed by student athletes and individuals with ties to the UNC football program.
“We deeply regret that Carolina is in this position,” said Chancellor Holden Thorp and athletic director Dick Baddour in a statement. “As we move forward, Coach Butch Davis and the two of us are focused on emerging from this as a stronger athletics program.”
According to the notice, tutor Jennifer Wiley provided “impermissible academic assistance” to players, which included composing parts of writing assignments for players, the notice states. Wiley provided $3,500 worth of extra benefits to student athletes in the form of free tutoring, parking ticket payments and an airline ticket, according to the notice.
During 2009 and 2010, the notice states, seven football players received a total of $27,097.38 in benefits. The University redacted the names of these athletes.
Sources of improper benefits included former UNC wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, former UNC defensive backs Omar Brown and Chris Hawkins, agent Gary Wichard and Todd Stewart of Pro Sports Financial.
The notice states that former assistant coach John Blake partnered with Wichard “to represent individuals in the marketing of their athletic abilities in violation of NCAA legislation.”
It also claims that Blake failed to report $31,000 in income from Pro Tect Management and gave the NCAA misleading information.
Blake, Wiley and UNC officials are asked to respond by the notice and have until Sept. 19 to do so. Wiley has failed to cooperate with the NCAA since she left the University, the notice states.
