The Real Truth: Has UNC Been Told Likely Penalties Already?

More people are talking about what is happening to the University of North Carolina in connection with the NCAA agent investigation focusing on the Miami South Beach Party. It appears that either discussions were occurring despite the fact that the NCAA has asked that UNC remain silent or the time period for silence is now over.  From the comments, it also appears that UNC may have already been informed of the likely sanctions against the UNC football players involved and the school itself.

At the start of the Miami Beach Party investigation, the University of North Carolina athletic department was told not to say anything, or that they could choose to say nothing.  What is clear is that they were requested, at least until players were interviewed, to say nothing that could jeopardize the investigation. 

It has been most recently reported that two UNC 2011 recruits were told much more. While the source of the statements has changed a bit, the gist is that the two were told that UNC would not end up being an issue for future recruits.

Coach Williams said the players involved would have to pay back what they received and it wouldn't be an issue for future recruits," [Tim] Scott said in a telephone interview Sunday. Williams is UNC's receivers coach and is in his fourth season with the program. He worked with coach Butch Davis at Miami before coaching in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Scott clarified a report in the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance-Star that attributed the quotes to Davis. "I didn't talk to coach Davis about the investigation," Scott said. A second recruit, receiver T.J. Thorpe from Durham, said he talked to Davis on Thursday. Thorpe said Davis told him that the NCAA investigation would not "jeopardize the character of the program." "[Davis] said the NCAA will handle it and the program will move on," Thorpe said. "He didn't make it sound like a big deal, beyond the players involved, or anything like what happened at USC."

What the report does say is that the players involved "would have to pay back what they received," which appears to be an admission that the UNC players being investigated had received something of value from one or more agents.  It also says that only the players involved could be a big deal, rather than what happened at USC.

The reference is to the harsh penalties assessed against USC in connection with Reggie Bush's contacts with his agent prior to and during his Heisman year.

Since Tar Heels Head Coach Butch Davis has also said that he expects this investigation to be over before the season starts, it is most likely that the end result will be at most acceptance of penalties against the players and no sanctions against UNC.

The Real Truth is that we will almost certainly not know what will happen to UNC for most of the month of August.