UNC Sent New Notice of Academic Fraud Allegations by NCAA

The NCAA provided the University of North Carolina with a second notice of allegations in its long-standing academic fraud case Monday.  

Aaron Beard of the Associated Press reported the news, indicating the school has 90 days to respond. North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham confirmed the report, per Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer.

The NCAA originally charged the school with five major violations in a May 2015 notice, mostly related to the school's African and Afro-American Studies programs. The case was reopened when North Carolina shared additional information with the NCAA, which led to Monday's findings. 

Dan Kane of the The News & Observer noted a major change in the new notice:

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Football and men’s basketball are no longer mentioned as leading beneficiaries of the fake classes. In fact, the notice doesn’t mention them at all, and instead cites misconduct involving athletes in general in the lack of institutional control and failure to comply allegations.

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According to the previous notice of allegations, the African and Afro-American Studies department was largely a front to keep athletes eligible. Student-athletes received impermissible benefits that included grade-point-average adjustments and classes without mandatory attendance. The situation, which spanned nearly two decades, involved an estimated 3,100 students from 1993 to 2011, according to former U.S. Justice Department official Kenneth Wainstein.

North Carolina will review the new documents before making them public. The 90-day response period gives the school time to decide what, if any, self-imposed punishments it will enact. Given the scope of the allegations, some form of postseason ban will likely be in order. Other standard punishments include loss of scholarships and potential suspensions of any coaches who are found to have been connected.

It's worth noting that Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim was hit with a nine-game suspension last year due to academic issues. Boeheim was not found to be linked to the cover-up, but he was suspended for lack of oversight. It's possible North Carolina's Roy Williams will face similar penalties despite this predating his arrival.