UNC Coach Sylvia Hatchell Under Investigation for Alleged Racist Comments

North Carolina women's basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell is being accused of making racially offensive remarks and forcing players to play through injuries, according to the Washington Post's Will Hobson. 

Hatchell and three Tar Heels assistants were placed on administrative leave and the athletics department began a review Monday "due to issues raised by student-athletes and others."    

The Washington Post conducted interviews with seven people who had knowledge of the situation, including six parents of current student-athletes.

Per Hobson, Hatchell told her players they would be "hanged from trees with nooses" if they didn't play better. Wade Smith, Hatchell's attorney, attempted to clarify the matter while denying allegations of racism by his client.

"She said, 'They're going to take a rope and string us up, and hang us out to dry,'" Smith said, according to Hobson. "There is not a racist bone in her body. ... A very high percentage of the people who have played for her and who love her are African-American women. She is a terrific coach, and a truly world-class human being."

Hatchell also allegedly encouraged players to participate in a "'war chant' to 'honor' the Native American ancestry of an assistant coach."

Hobson also reported three Tar Heels players felt pressured to play through injuries, with one saying Hatchell expressed concern over the legitimacy of her concussion.

Smith said that while Hatchell said she could not recall any specific incidents regarding pressuring injured players to take the court, she would never have made anyone play if they weren't cleared by the team's medical staff.

Hatchell declined to comment for Hobson's story, but she did issue a statement on the matter earlier this week:

"I’ve had the privilege of coaching more than 200 young women during my 44 years in basketball. My goal has always been to help them become the very best people they can be, on the basketball court and in life. I love each and every one of the players I’ve coached and would do anything to encourage and support them. They are like family to me. I love them all. Of course, I will cooperate fully in this review. I look forward to a prompt conclusion of this matter and the continuation of our very successful women’s basketball program."

Hobson noted that four of North Carolina's 14 players have already filed the paperwork to transfer, with at least two more considering that route should Hatchell keep her job.

Hatchell has spent the last 33 seasons in Chapel Hill, amassing a 751-325 record while leading the Tar Heels to 23 NCAA tournament appearances, three Final Fours and one national championship. The 67-year-old's 1,023 career victories rank third among active Division I women's college basketball coaches.

She is a two-time National Coach of the Year and three-time ACC Coach of the Year.

Hatchell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.