North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams broke his silence Monday regarding shooting guard P.J. Hairston’s arrest June 5.
“P.J. and I have had several discussions already and he knows he has made serious mistakes and there will be serious consequences as a result,” Williams said in a statement. “Certainly the idea of suspending P.J. has been discussed.”
Since the initial arrest, Williams has remained vigilant in waiting for all the facts to come to light before making decisions regarding Hairston’s future. Williams maintained that he wanted the legal process finalized before making a statement.
Hairston was initially arrested and charged with driving without a license and possession of marijuana when he was stopped at a license check in Durham.
Kammie Michael, a public information officer with the Durham Police Department, said at the time that a 9-millimeter gun and magazine were recovered outside the vehicle.
In an email last week, Michael wrote that the department does not anticipate filing any additional charges in connection with Hairston’s arrest.
USA Today first reported last week that according to rental agreements, Hairston was driving a 2013 Yukon rented by Haydn ‘Fats’ Thomas at the time of the arrest.
Williams said he has not yet determined Hairston’s consequences.
“However, he is not currently enrolled in summer school, is not practicing with the team and we have no games until November,” Williams said. “There are several options available in terms of discipline but we are going to wait until the process is complete to decide on those options.”
The full text of Williams’ statement is below.
I initially decided not to make a statement about PJ (Hairston) until the legal process had been finalized. I believe that is the fair way that everyone should be treated and is the way of our country.
PJ and I have had several discussions already and he knows he has made serious mistakes and there will be serious consequences as a result. Certainly the idea of suspending PJ has been discussed. However, he is not currently enrolled in summer school, is not practicing with the team and we have no games until November. There are several options available in terms of discipline but we are going to wait until the process is complete to decide on those options.
Other issues have been written about recently that are disturbing and bother me deeply. Our basketball program is based on great ideals and these issues are embarrassing. These are not common in my 10 years as head coach at UNC and they will all be dealt with harshly and appropriately at the correct time to ensure that our program will not be compromised.
We will care about each individual but there will be serious actions taken that will fix these issues. I take pride in our values and how we have conducted ourselves for a long time here at Carolina and this time will pass but it will be dealt with strongly.
We are talking about a program that has been a model of success on and off the court and it will be again. I want to thank our fans for their patience, understanding and support.
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