Discovery of new evidence to delay North Carolina's response to NCAA
Only days before North Carolina had been slated to respond to the Notice of Allegations sent by the NCAA earlier this summer, the school revealed it has uncovered new evidence that threatens to substantially delay the process.
North Carolina announced on Friday it has notified the NCAA that it has found "additional examples of possible instances of improper academic assistance provided to a few former women’s basketball players." The Tar Heels also discovered "potential recruiting violations in the men’s soccer program that allegedly occurred over the past two years."
The new findings give North Carolina reason to delay submitting its response to the Notice of Allegations, which had been due by next Tuesday. It's unclear what the new timetable will be, but the statement North Carolina released indicated both school officials and the NCAA are confident the review of the new data can be concluded within 60 days.
While the new evidence further ensures that North Carolina's women's basketball program is likely to receive harsh penalties, the delay could have positive and negative impact for the Tar Heels men's basketball team.
On one hand, any potential delay means uncertainty surrounding the program's future will linger longer, making it increasingly difficult for Roy Williams and his staff to compete for the nation's top recruits. No top prospects in the Class of 2016 are going to sign with the Tar Heels when opposing staffs are constantly reminding them there's a possibility North Carolina will face a postseason ban during their freshman year.
On the other hand, a two-month delay would all but guarantee a potential postseason ban would not affect the 2015-16 season, a key development considering the Tar Heels could begin the campaign atop the polls. It's unlikely the NCAA would issue an in-season ban no matter what, however, this pushes back the timetable far enough that the Committee on Infractions might not even announce North Carolina's punishment until after the start of the 2016 NCAA tournament.
“I know today’s announcement will cause some to ask when all of this will end," North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said. “I want to assure everyone that Carolina is doing all it can to bring these matters to closure as quickly as possible while also strictly adhering to the NCAA’s infractions process. While we need to address these new developments, we have already completed the majority of the work necessary to respond to the NCAA’s notice. We fully believe that we will be able to bring the investigation to a conclusion in spring 2016, as previously anticipated."
The Notice of Allegations the Tar Heels received in May hit them with five potentially serious violations in the wake of the NCAA's lengthy investigation into the academic fraud that took place at the school.
The first two allegations state that North Carolina athletes received impermissible benefits unavailable to the rest of the student body when their academic counselors obtained special assistance and privileges for them. The next two allegations target African American Studies department officials Deborah Crowder and Dr. Julius Nyang’oro for their failure to cooperate in the NCAA's investigation.
The charge of lack of institutional control is the most serious one. It asserts that the athletic department failed to properly monitor the actions of members of its academic support staff and cast a blind eye to why so many athletes were enrolled in African American Studies courses.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
