Warrant: Sports agent might have violated law
Even though the NCAA closed its investigation of the North Carolina football program, a separate probe by the state of North Carolina determined that laws relating to sports agents might have been violated.
Current Cleveland Browns wide receiver Greg Little, a former Tar Heel who was declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA for receiving improper benefits, told investigators that a Georgia-based sports agent gave him a $2,200 monthly allowance in 2010, according to a search warrant that was unsealed earlier this week.
According to a search warrant, which was unsealed this week, Little used some of that money to repay a tutor who was a central figure in an academic misconduct scandal involving a number of Tar Heel football players.
The NCAA punished North Carolina in March 2012 by placing the program on probation, banning it from the postseason and reducing scholarships by 15 over a three-year period.
The North Carolina sports agent law is supposed to protect athletes from agents who offer money and gifts to try to get players to sign with them before they are permitted. Agents are required to register with the state.
A violation is a Class 1 felony and could result in a maximum 15-month prison sentence and $25,000 fine.
