Dan Kane: NCAA Rejects UNCheat Arguments in Enforcement Case

[JPScott]

I don't agree that Bilas is a shill. I think he's a dyed-in-the-wool lawyer type who loves fighting anything that he sees as wielding arbitrary power, and I think his loathing of the NCAA is clouding his rationality here.

Believe me, I don't make that accusation lightly.

But consider the circumstances. About the time last spring when UNC, after months of intense lobbying was making their deal for clemency by having the NCAA scrap and water down their original NOA, Roy Williams starts boasting about how the basketball team is not going to be touched (how he knows that before the NCAA has even released their NOA unless the two parties were deep in negotiations ?), and then Jay Bilas starts to lay the groundwork by throwing out theories which largely absolve UNC of any wrongdoing, theories which just so happen to be exactly what UNC tried to argue in their responses. (i.e. that the NCAA has no jurisdiction in determining the validity of classes etc.) Coincidence? I don't think so.

Also know that UNC has been spending literally millions of dollars trying to cover-up this boondoggle, including the money spent on the Wainstein report, which after numerous sham 'self-investigations' was designed to once and for all bring this episode to a close.

Of course UNC bought and paid for this 'independent' report, after ensuring it was confined to the AFAM department only, and didn't delve into anything which might prove uncomfortable and seriously damaging for the school, such as the Dental Foundation, the Pell Grant fraud, the fraudulent learning disability scam, illicit ADHD medications, Wheels for Heels etc. etc.

So what does our boy Bilas end up doing? Of course, give a cushy speech at Cadwalader (along with Tom Ross), one of the exact same pr groups that UNC showered with money and the firm that Wainstein represents. Seems to be a strange move for someone who's supposedly an impartial journalist?

Link to Original Press Release

At the very least I think Bilas has a lot of explaining to do as to what business relationships and conflicts of interest he holds with individuals and firms (including Cadwalader) who are actively working with UNC in covering up this scandal.

Otherwise, not sure why anyone would take anything he says about the matter seriously.

Just like the NCAA should have recognized from the very beginning that UNC was not acting like a trustworthy and honest partner when it came to investigating this scandal, I think people need to recognize that Jay Bilas is not an impartial observer when it comes to commenting on it. I know I've lost all respect for him.

 

[docholiday51]

This has been a long off season.

Yes it has,in terms of time I guess the usual amount of water has gone under the bridge but with respect to UNC and UL it has been a long drawn out process in which not much has happened.Issues such as the ones that have come to light should have been a priority for the NCAA,things like we have seen are a bit more serious than some kid illegally washing her car with a university hose and university water or too much cream cheese on a bagel

The NCAA should be more concerned with protecting the integrity of college athletics and when member institutions not only commit major violations but set up entire networks to cover up the violations they(NCAA) should take action more quickly and be more transparent in their methods of investigation and enforcement.

 

[jarms24]

Of course UNC bought and paid for this 'independent' report, after ensuring it was confined to the AFAM department only, and didn't delve into anything which might prove uncomfortable and seriously damaging for the school, such as the Dental Foundation, the Pell Grant fraud, the fraudulent learning disability scam, illicit ADHD medications etc. etc.

Great post Jon!

Too add to this small part ... Don't forget that it was proven that this was happening in many other departments. Remember the PowerPoint slide? PHIL, GEOG, NAV, et al. However, Wainstein's parameters were limited only to AFAM, as you mentioned.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

I think based on the way UNC acted during the process, especially late in the game once they felt that Men's Basketball and football would be spared, that the amended NOA was simply the result of literally months of negotiation to go along with a lot of lobbying and money spent by UNC to preserve their crown jewels.

The whole reporting of new violations was a last minute tactic to avoid answering the charges against MBB until they could renegotiate a dropping of those charges altogether.

If they had truly been interested in bringing this whole fiasco to a close quickly, as they claimed to the media, they could have reported their new violations but gone ahead and responded to the existing charges in the original NOA. But of course that was not their intent. Instead they wanted to delay until they got what they wanted, which was a dropping of those MBB and football-specific charges altogether.

The only thing surprising to me is that it took the NCAA this long to finally recognize that UNC was never acting as a trustworthy co-investigator in this issue.

I agree with this. Anyone who has followed this story at all could see what was going on. If UNC had gone ahead and admitted to their cheating early on, before Wainstein, they may have gotten out of this relatively unscathed. Now, with words like these...

“The new information provided, for the first time, a complete picture of the athletics department’s preferential access to anomalous AFRI/AFAM courses and, in some cases, how it used those courses to retain NCAA academic eligibility for student-athletes,” the NCAA’s enforcement staff wrote. “This access provided student-athletes with advantages that other students simply did not have.”

...I have little doubt the hammer is coming down hard. UNC left it in the public eye too long and they have forced the hand of the NCAA. Hopefully ul is doing the same thing.

 

[musrat59]

The question is does the NCAA have the balls to do anything.

 

[CatPhight_rivals65113]

 

[CatPhight_rivals65113]

 

[JoeBeeHall]

Hope this new information hinders recruiting . At least that is some form of justice .

 

[mebeblue2]

I would do anything for that Willi guy from the national board to post here, since I cannot post there anymore... stupid "free" post limit

i hit my limit and had to sit for a day

 

[CatEye2010]

Bilas is obviously Skipper's lead dog on ensuring that ALL of ESPN's Talking Heads know their place and are in lock-step to cover up and minimize the travesty that is UNC academics scandal. Sprinkle in a little loudmouth Dickie V here and there bemoaning the unfairness of people trying to smear the good names of Honest Roy and Dean of Cheaters Smith.

Recent statements by the NCAA are likely just trying to make them sound tough. I doubt if anything substantive will happen to MBB. Wheels for Heels, Fats, Dental Foundation, Tammy? Nothing to see here, folks. Move along now.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

The question is does the NCAA have the balls to do anything.

Those are pretty harsh words for an entity like the NCAA to say about an institution. They said that UNC lied to them and failed to disclose information the NCAA had requested. They said that UNC had set up fake classes for the sole purpose of keeping athletes academically eligible. After having said all that, and admitting they know exactly what happened and why, I don't see any way they cannot bring a harsh penalty.

 

[Mojocat_rivals48469]

I don't agree that Bilas is a shill. I think he's a dyed-in-the-wool lawyer type who loves fighting anything that he sees as wielding arbitrary power, and I think his loathing of the NCAA is clouding his rationality here.

Bilas is obviously pretty sharp, and I really like to hear him analyze a team, a player or a game. But that's about it. When it comes to his opinions on a scandal or a coach under scrutiny for any reason, he will always, always defend the coach. So you knew what he'd say about the uofl and UNC cases before he said anything. And when it comes to any issue involving the NCAA, his distaste for that organization means you know what his take is before he says anything. Not sure if that makes him a shill, or just biased, or both.

 

[RKulmer]

Does anyone really think the NCAA would punish 2 ACC schools basketball programs in the same year. Or any year for that matter. ESPN would lose even more money for Disney than they are now.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

Does anyone really think the NCAA would punish 2 ACC schools basketball programs in the same year. Or any year for that matter. ESPN would lose even more money for Disney than they are now.

How is ESPN going to lose money? There is no shortage of games for them to air. ul is only pertinent in one county of one state. No one outside of that very small, confined, limited area would give a twit.

 

[hotelblue]

Those are pretty harsh words for an entity like the NCAA to say about an institution. They said that UNC lied to them and failed to disclose information the NCAA had requested. They said that UNC had set up fake classes for the sole purpose of keeping athletes academically eligible. After having said all that, and admitting they know exactly what happened and why, I don't see any way they cannot bring a harsh penalty.

they cornered themselves for MAJOR scrutiny. the problem is we already have seen how unabashed they are in their agendas. nothing would be surprising you must admit, even though journalist would have an absolute field day with those acknowledgements they made. coaches/ad who were punished in the last five years as well. based on evidence of course. their quotes stick out as well because they don't come out often and are usually vague. they seriously suck at agendas now.

 

[RKulmer]

How is ESPN going to lose money? There is no shortage of games for them to air. ul is only pertinent in one county of one state. No one outside of that very small, confined, limited area would give a twit.

UL game draw large viewer audiences.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

they cornered themselves for MAJOR scrutiny. the problem is we already have seen how unabashed they are in their agendas. nothing would be surprising you must admit, even though journalist would have an absolute field day with those acknowledgements they made. coaches/ad who were punished in the last five years as well. based on evidence of course. their quotes stick out as well because they don't come out often and are usually vague. they seriously suck at agendas now.

Maybe we don't see it the same way, but these words are different than any I've seen out of the NCAA yet regarding this scandal. I see this as a precursor to a major penalty. Three championships and hundreds of games are on the table now. The NCAA has been pretty strict about dishing out punishment for playing ineligible players. Where they have waivered in the past is deciding who is ineligible and if the improper benefits happened at a time to warrant penalty. Now they have made the claim that unc has given improper benefits to athletes, some of whom are very instrumental in the success of the program over the period cited. Based on NCAA rules these players must be deemed ineligible. Those same rules say the games must be forfeited. Save this post. I will.

 

[RacerX.ksr]

UL game draw large viewer audiences.

So do lots of other games. And which game are you talking about?

 

[hotelblue]

Maybe we don't see it the same way, but these words are different than any I've seen out of the NCAA yet regarding this scandal. I see this as a precursor to a major penalty. Three championships and hundreds of games are on the table now. The NCAA has been pretty strict about dishing out punishment for playing ineligible players. Where they have waivered in the past is deciding who is ineligible and if the improper benefits happened at a time to warrant penalty. Now they have made the claim that unc has given improper benefits to athletes, some of whom are very instrumental in the success of the program over the period cited. Based on NCAA rules these players must be deemed ineligible. Those same rules say the games must be forfeited. Save this post. I will.

well of course. said five years ago i think they would eventually have to do something or burn - at least in complete loss of prestige as an organization. i capitalized "major" for that reason. they cornered themselves, and yes it seems they know what's going on and should be able to easily find which sports benefited most by rosters/class takers. heck they could grab an old program and see the usual starters.

 

[Mojocat_rivals48469]

UL game draw large viewer audiences.

Nah. There are only 4 programs that "move the needle": UK, Duke, UNC, KU. Which, not coincidentally, are the real "elite" programs......

 

[akaukswoosh]

Bubba and the Cheaters met with NCAA for five hours today.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/6329...6018/unc-set-hearing-ncaa-panel-academic-case

The timeline is likely to carry this case well into 2017, approaching seven years since NCAA investigators first arrived on campus in the original football case focused on improper benefits and academic misconduct.

Friday's hearing came exactly five years after UNC's hearing in that first case.

 

[Xception]

I agree that UNC has been trying to limit any scope and focus on a single issue , slightly expanding each time it was revealed to be a ruse . I know UNC is led by corrupt people , they're unrepentant cheaters and I'm not going to blame them for trying to lie because that's what they are . What's pathetic is the disingenuous NCAA , media and anyone else who is helping to minimize the truth to protect the biggest lie in sports .

 

[ashleys handfull]

Bilas is an ESPN/ACC puppet

 

[mgtf55dy]

I don't understand all the talk about the NCAA determining "what is a class"? SACS has already said that the "paper classes" were fraudulent. What more is the needed? When the accreditation agency says this, the NCAA should be able to simply point to what SACS has said and proceed from there.

Am I missing something?

 

[JPScott]

I don't understand all the talk about the NCAA determining "what is a class"? SACS has already said that the "paper classes" were fraudulent. What more is the needed? When the accreditation agency says this, the NCAA should be able to simply point to what SACS has said and proceed from there.

Am I missing something?

No, you're not missing anything.

UNC fans will try to cling to the claim that since SACS didn't pull their accreditation that everything was kosher, but that ignores the fact that SACS was never going to pull accreditation. That's the nuclear option.

SACS clearly found that the classes in question were not up to the expected standards. And UNC has been forced to fix this going forward and to improve on their internal oversight.

 

[akaukswoosh]

I agree that UNC has been trying to limit any scope and focus on a single issue , slightly expanding each time it was revealed to be a ruse . I know UNC is led by corrupt people , they're unrepentant cheaters and I'm not going to blame them for trying to lie because that's what they are . What's pathetic is the disingenuous NCAA , media and anyone else who is helping to minimize the truth to protect the biggest lie in sports .

kay:

 

[MNantz]

I am not getting my hopes up as
It has all along ESPN with either not cover this story or try their best to bury it or explain it away . Have they yet to make one critical comment about UNCHEAT during this whole process ?

 

[KMKAT]

Man, how did the entire board miss out on this when it happened three days ago?

What's crazy is I've moved on from this as it seems the NCAA would crumble and ignore their own Level 1 infractions.
Glad to see more noise in all this and the longer this goes, the more struggles for Roy. He's a fraud for the betterment of students, but I do have to thank him for SKJ and Bam right out his back door.

 

[KMKAT]

UL game draw large viewer audiences.

TV viewers always love seeing smut and scandal from college athletics. Once the election is over, it's all about spinmeisters and how they spin their transgressions.

The NCAA should suspend these suspect coaches pending conclusions of investigations. Then this junk would be more impactful.

 

[kybassfan]

No, you're not missing anything.

UNC fans will try to cling to the claim that since SACS didn't pull their accreditation that everything was kosher, but that ignores the fact that SACS was never going to pull accreditation. That's the nuclear option.

SACS clearly found that the classes in question were not up to the expected standards. And UNC has been forced to fix this going forward and to improve on their internal oversight.

Great point. Some in the media and fans of that mess often forget or ignore that SACS put them on probation. As you point out, pulling accreditation would have left a smoking hole. The embarrassment of probation is HUGE, no matter what the media, Bilas or that deluded fan base might try to sell us. SACS placed a loaded weapon at the feet of the COI and they only lately seem to have noticed.

I still think this is a thinly veiled attempt by the NCAA to save face and credibility in the eyes of a few without slaughtering a cash cow. Depending on why they suddenly decided they needed the veil may determine whether we're eating steak later.

 

[MNantz]

So another basketball season that the heads of ESPN will not allow the UNCHEAT scandal to be discussed on the talk shows or during games it looks like !!

 

[downw/ball-lineD]

jP. What do u think will happen to UNC and what do u think should happen to unc?

 

[JPScott]

jP. What do u think will happen to UNC and what do u think should happen to unc?

I don't know. The NCAA is just as corrupt as UNC has been so it's impossible to know what, if anything, will be done.

What does UNC deserve? They deserve to have their entire program shut down.

One thing I do think should have happened (which is only slightly more realistic) is that every single person who worked for (or oversaw) UNC athletics / athletic advising during the past 20 years should have a show-cause placed on them if they want to continue to work in the field. But that's only if the NCAA were truly interested in cleaning up this cesspool, which they clearly aren't.

 

[mebeblue2]

i do find it very sad and troubling that UNC and UL fans are gloating because they think they are getting away with cheating

 

[UKrazycat2_rivals]

i do find it very sad and troubling that UNC and UL fans are gloating because they think they are getting away with cheating

I find it amusing as hell. After all the years of "the carolina way" and lil brothel claims of Cal/UK cheats, watching the chickens come home to roost and their fans trying to justify and cover their corruption is pure comedy relief.

OK @_Rooster the door's open. opcorn:

 

[awf]

boo ****ing hoo. They were cheating for 30+ ****ing years. Who gives a **** how long it drags on?

I don't give a hoot how long this case drags on. I want to see the NCAA do what is right. I don't claim to have enough information on UNC's situation to decide what "right" is.
I do know enough that some serious sanctions are in order. They have been using inelligable players for three decades. I think there will be precedence set here with the removal of NC banners.

 

[awf]

I find it amusing as hell. After all the years of "the carolina way" and lil brothel claims of Cal/UK cheats, watching the chickens come home to roost and their fans trying to justify and cover their corruption is pure comedy relief.

OK @_Rooster the door's open. opcorn:

Just proves to me that the saying, "that Karma is a B**ch", is true.

 

[UKrazycat2_rivals]

Just proves to me that the saying, "that Karma is a B**ch", is true.

This and "where there's smoke, there's fire". #backdraft. [cheers]

 

[awf]

A reasonable person could look at the UNC situation and think that if they would go to this length to keep players eligible what other kind of cheating do they find necessary to perpetuate the "Carolina Way"?

 

[Bkocats]

i do find it very sad and troubling that UNC and UL fans are gloating because they think they are getting away with cheating

is it sadder that they think they're getting away with it, or that many believe nothing wrong was done in the first place?