North Carolina Academic Fraud Investigation
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Joel Goodson
- how was I to know, she was with the Russians too?
Retires, but, yeah. If NC can't dodge the hammer, he gawn. No way is he going to continue if NC doesn't have a realistic shot at the big prize.
Plausible deniability. Put someone else in change so I (I.e. Head coach) don't know the details and therefore cannot be held responsible.
Similar to the alleged payments by boosters to players or AAU programs. A coach would have it be an idiot to have his fingerprints on something like this situation.
I agree 100%. He was a willing participant in the fraud. However, for many, if there's easy money to be made via a lawsuit, character goes out the window.
I keep wondering about the other half of those 3500 students who participated in these sham classes ....the "non-athletes" or regular students. How'd they learn about these classes and who approved their attendance?
They had to get approvals from their instructors and advisors from other departments within the university, right? That means other dept administrators were likely aware of what as going on all along. How do you get 1500-2000 regular students into sham classes and not raise questions about legitimacy of these classes among faculty, advisors, administrators, etc. Doesn't make sense.
Seems like this scandal might be broader/deeper than just Crowder and the athletic dept.
They had to get approvals from their instructors and advisors from other departments within the university, right? That means other dept administrators were likely aware of what as going on all along. How do you get 1500-2000 regular students into sham classes and not raise questions about legitimacy of these classes among faculty, advisors, administrators, etc. Doesn't make sense.
Seems like this scandal might be broader/deeper than just Crowder and the athletic dept.
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Deleted member 4723
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This whole situation gives credence to my dislike of Roy Williams. Could never figure out exactly why I disliked him, just something about his overall creepiness.
I don't care about "getting to the bottom of it". I think it would be great theater if someone like Roy got questioned under oath. Never gonna happen. Also there is sufficient documentation and narrative that there is no confusion about what has occurred. Only the most naive or biased perspective allows for any remnants of mystery.
I know nothing about the character of Mr. McAdoo, whether he is a 'loser' or not. Nor do I consider his motives regarding his lawsuit relevant. Unless he was central to the development and sustaining of the fraudulent classes over an estimated 20 year period, it is a stretch at best identify him as a co-conspirator. I'm pretty sure an argument regarding culpability is not one that UNC seeks to pursue in court.
It's an interesting story. It won't change anything in a meaningful way.
illini1
- Springfield, IL
Former Illinois football recruit who ended up playing at North Carolina said everybody at the school knew.
http://deadspin.com/former-unc-player-details-academic-fraud-says-everybo-1657041495
http://deadspin.com/former-unc-player-details-academic-fraud-says-everybo-1657041495
And why, pray tell, did he feel it necessary to throw that last line in there? :tsk: Certainly speaks to the character of this Powell fellow.
DaytonIllini
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He wanted to make sure you knew that he was a piece of human waste hardly worth the effort of giving CPR if he collapsed in front of you. That way you are not surprised when he turns out to be a villain in another story. He's really doing us a favor Az. Plus it makes you just wish the guy would blow out something permanently and end up a twisted mass of uselessness.
OrwellsIllini
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+1000
It's certainly amusing to think that this, of all things, could actually come back to bite North Carolina. As audacious as it is for the guy benefiting to turn around and sue for wrong-doing, I will take this trade-off all day long if it means the folks running the show are held accountable. North Carolina will almost surely settle out of court and sweep it under the rug, but they will take a monetary hit, which is probably the only thing big institutions understand (short of hand-cuffs).
DaytonIllini
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I think they'll start with a motion for dismissal. If that fails, I suspect you are right. They'll start feeling out what kind of settlement would make this all go away before discovery starts.
You would think this story would be more mainstream. Either the media doubts the sources, or they are afraid of where this goes. If these stories are true, you would have to believe it is going on elsewhere. What kind of education do you think the rest of the bluebloods are providing?
DaytonIllini
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I'm not sure the regular students at UK or KU take real classes.
You are right though. It's odd the press doesn't pick up the story. I never understand the press though. They can fixate on a cook who admits she dropped an N bomb 30 years ago. Then they can almost ignore vets dying in the VA for decades. Who knows how these people make determinations? I'm not even sure what constitutes press anymore. When almost every important story is broken by a blogger nowadays, what use is there in having conventional press?
Lawsuits filed by former football and womens basketball players.
http://news.yahoo.com/two-ex-north-carolina-athletes-file-lawsuit-alleging-231240586--nfl.html
http://news.yahoo.com/two-ex-north-carolina-athletes-file-lawsuit-alleging-231240586--nfl.html
I have a cousin who was a very prominent athlete at UNC back in the 90's and she had nothing but bad things to say about Dean Smith and several other prominent people in the North Carolina athletics department.
This was inevitable. This goes well beyond the NCAA and some kind of rules violation and the athletic piece is just a component of it. For a very good academic institution to be providing/embracing/enabling/ignoring academic fraud should (I would never say will) have implications to funding accreditation, etc.
BTW, on the surface it would appear that the non-athletic students knew what they were doing in taking these courses. No one forced them to. As for the athletes, I would like to say the same thing, but it is certainly conceivable that there was some implied pressure, but I won't absolve the players of some responsibility based on what I have read so far.
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Out of a morbid curiosity. What sort of job would someone hire a person for with a suspect degree in AA studies or basket weaving or whatever?
I also thought it was funny that the lawsuit was filed in Durham, NC. I wonder if the firm representing them is comprised of pro Duke lawyers
I also thought it was funny that the lawsuit was filed in Durham, NC. I wonder if the firm representing them is comprised of pro Duke lawyers
The thing that gets me is that there are already a lot of easy grades out there for student-athletes without having to take things to this level.
I was a student athlete at Eastern Illinois University and we could sign up for one hour of intercollegiate athletics each semester which was a guaranteed A. That amounted to eight hours of A's over your career to boost your GPA.
On top of that, everyone knew the "blow-off" classes where you could basically just show up and get no worse than a B. Some of these included "P.E." classes like bowling, karate, archery, etc, but also music appreciation, and other classes that could be really easy with the right professor. You could take one or two of these every semester.
On top of that, you had the help of tutors and academic support staff.
If an athlete can't stay eligible, they have to either be mentally impaired or just not care enough to make any effort at all.
I was a student athlete at Eastern Illinois University and we could sign up for one hour of intercollegiate athletics each semester which was a guaranteed A. That amounted to eight hours of A's over your career to boost your GPA.
On top of that, everyone knew the "blow-off" classes where you could basically just show up and get no worse than a B. Some of these included "P.E." classes like bowling, karate, archery, etc, but also music appreciation, and other classes that could be really easy with the right professor. You could take one or two of these every semester.
On top of that, you had the help of tutors and academic support staff.
If an athlete can't stay eligible, they have to either be mentally impaired or just not care enough to make any effort at all.
DaytonIllini
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Or want an actual education, take real classes, and end up being "out of your league" receiving bad grades. I'm not sure taking 'blow off classes' is actually 'making an effort'.
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