Caught in a lie? Little, Austin & others in Miami @ “Aquagirl Weekend” in May…not March?

ACC & Other General UNC Scandal59

“Oh! what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!” — Sir Walter Scott (Scottish novelist)

 
 

Last night, SFN ran a fun story (linked here) focused on Marvin Austin’s pictures and tweets and is currently blowing up the internet with attention and traffic.

Some of the pictures and comments served to contradict comments made in the press by Greg Little and his father. (Are you picking up on the reasons why there is a 100% lockdown on allowing anyone from UNC-Chapel Hill’s football program to speak to the media? They obviously still haven’t got all of their stories straight.

Joe Giglio at the N&O and ACCNow astutely noticed the discrepancy and made note of the contradictions a blog entry this morning. (Link)

The picture was posted by Miss Natalie Nunn on Tweetphoto. According to Nunn’s web site, she is a reality show star (“Bad Girls Club”), model and “an entertainer, a lover, a friend to many, an athlete, and personality on television.”

Also, Little’s father said his son and Austin went to Miam in March on spring break. The time-stamp on the photo would suggest the pair made two trips to Miami in three months.

Little was interviewed by the NCAA earlier this month in Chapel Hill, his father said, and so was Austin, according to sources.

Since this news broke, it has come to my attention that many UNC-CH fans and media apologists have gone into scramble mode to cover Greg Little’s – “My dad paid for my trip to Miami but that was in March” -story with a half-assed explanation that those pictures could have been taken in March and not uploaded until May. This theory seems to originated in this tweet from Raleigh radio host, Joe Ovies.

by the way, that picture simply could have been taken in March and uploaded in May

I am not arguing the point that Greg Little took a trip to Miami in March – he and his father have publicly stated that to be the case. But, I’m telling you…Greg Little was also in Miami in May of this year; and I’m getting ready to show you how & why I know this. In doing so, I ask the question, “why in the hell media members would so innately default into a mode of rationalization, excusing and justifying what they see with their on friggin eyes?” (I know…that is rhetorical.)

The following additional pictures prove my point and create a world of hurt for Greg Little and his daddy:

Joe Ovies tweeted about this ^ picture that was in my original piece : “that picture simply could have been taken in March and uploaded in May” — something the media would FOR SURE be doing if State was involved here, Right?

It appears that Marvin Austin and Greg Little were down in Miami at an event called “Aquagirl Weekend.”  I watched The Superfriends as a child and I don’t remember any “Aquagirl,” so I think I have figured out that this is not a superhero reference.

http://www.aquagirl.org/

This Aquagirl thing is pretty cool.  You can go to the website and learn that it is a “week long celebration for women who love women.”  Hey, who would not want to be there for that!? I want to go next year! I just don’t know how I would have afforded such a trip with my friends while I was in college – after a semester where I took multiple trips to Washington, Miami and potentially New York and Las Vegas.

But I digress….when you research ‘Aquagirl Weekend’ you will also see that it was held in Southbeach (Miami, FL) from May 12th through May 16th this year.

How do we link Aquagirl (and Little’s apparent May trip) into this whole thing?

drumroll

ta-da!

Same girls, same outfits, same hat, obviously the same party.  And look at the message above the picture.

So the dates are apparently exactly what I said they were.  I assume one of these girls is reality TV Star Miss Natalie Nunn.  certainly she could shed some light on this dates issue (if there still is one).  I have no idea what “VH1 Exotica” is, and I don’t have time to get into it right now.  I will have to let the media finally step up and so some of their own work here. (My comments about the media do not apply to J.P. Giglio, who is actually coving this story well.  Imagine that!  It’s sad that the one guy doing the work is the one who stands out.)

In parting…if you need one other undiscussed and unexplained item that is slipping through the cracks…can anyone explain the following picture posted on May 31st by UNC defensive back, Kendric Burney? Note, I’m not accusing Burney of anything…but with such little disclosure and discussion coming from the North Carolina Football program we don’t have anything but our eyes to use to draw conclusions.

Remember everyone — this thing is limited only to Marvin Austin. Rinse & repeat. Rinse & repeat.

ACC & Other General UNC Scandal

59 Responses to Caught in a lie? Little, Austin & others in Miami @ “Aquagirl Weekend” in May…not March?

  1. OviesHatesYourPosse 07/21/2010 at 2:34 PM #

    @Skoll – the parking thing was called in by YOUR OWN FAN. N&O looked into it. Can’t explain College Inn, but I can explain the lack of “investigation.” You need people to talk, and right now UNC is in lockdown. This isn’t like a coaching search, where guys who get turned down will talk or BOT members have loose lips.

  2. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 2:34 PM #

    That Vernon Davis connection at that party might actually explain MA’s innocence. They are from the same place(DC area). Vernon’s brother, Vontae, also plays with the Miami Dolphins. If they knew MA since pre-HS or so, then they could pay for him to go anywhere in the world based on a pre-existing relationship. Just a thought…in addition to the revelation that the night club quote was actually from a song.

    Lots of smoke, but still no fire at this point.

  3. Prowling Woofie 07/21/2010 at 2:35 PM #

    “As for the bias, all those boogie men many of you cling from 20 years ago aren’t even employed any more or have moved to positions that don’t really shape public opinion any more.”

    Maybe so, Joe, but they helped create or solidify the culture that still shapes the local media sources. No doubt about it – their ghosts still haunt the scene…

    My sister-in-law is a retired columnist for the Charlotte Observer. She’s also a UNC-CH grad, and she readily admits to the biased atmosphere in the Charlotte Bureau; half the people she worked with were UNC grads. Though most have retired, the culture is so deeply engrained that it still exists.

    I still love her, though !

  4. SeaWolf 07/21/2010 at 2:35 PM #

    Daily:
    Marv went to Ballou HS. Davis went to Dunbar. Different schools.

  5. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 2:39 PM #

    Seawolf: I just assumed it was Dunbar. Aren’t some of the twitter photos at a camp there or something?

    It makes it less likely there was a relationship between the Davis’ brothers and MA since they didn’t go to the same HS. Still possible, but not near as likely.

  6. waxhaw 07/21/2010 at 2:40 PM #

    Fair or not what upsets most NC State fans is that it appears that the local media defaults to thinking there is no guilt at UNC unless proven otherwise. When NC State is involved, it seems the default is guilty unless proven innocent.

    If a story can be run based on unproven rumors of wrongdoings at NC State then the same should be good enough for a story on UNC.

    Joe — Thanks for stopping by and explaining your thought process. That’s more than many would do.

  7. SeaWolf 07/21/2010 at 2:40 PM #

    The schools are only 15 mins from each other.

  8. waxhaw 07/21/2010 at 2:42 PM #

    “As for the bias, all those boogie men many of you cling from 20 years ago aren’t even employed any more or have moved to positions that don’t really shape public opinion any more.”

    Maybe so, Joe, but they helped create or solidify the culture that still shapes the local media sources. No doubt about it – their ghosts still haunt the scene…

    My sister-in-law is a retired columnist for the Charlotte Observer. She’s also a UNC-CH grad, and she readily admits to the biased atmosphere in the Charlotte Bureau; half the people she worked with were UNC grads. Though most have retired, the culture is so deeply engrained that it still exists.

    To further your point, my father used to play golf with Howard Johnson from one of the Charlotte TV stations. He has told plenty of stories of UNC fans in the sports department. If you are a UNC fan, you will tend to believe the UNC spin. It might not be intentional but it’s real.

  9. tractor57 07/21/2010 at 2:45 PM #

    IMO if any players violate the NCAA rules they should be punished.
    Now I don’t think the NCAA is totally blameless.
    I have no axe to grind (mine are sharp already) but either “rules are rules” or the NCAA is a joke (guess where my opinion falls)

  10. OviesHatesYourPosse 07/21/2010 at 2:47 PM #

    “Fair or not what upsets most NC State fans is that it appears that the local media defaults to thinking there is no guilt at UNC unless proven otherwise. When NC State is involved, it seems the default is guilty unless proven innocent.”

    That’s funny because the emails and comments from UNC fans think the opposite. Bottom line — when it’s your school, you think the world is against you.

  11. Plz2BStateFan 07/21/2010 at 2:50 PM #

    Except we have actual evidence of the bias.

  12. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 2:53 PM #

    I haven’t seen a media outlet suggest that any of the accused UNC player’s are not guilty. I think where State fans have their anger misplaced in this case is that just because UNC players may have done something wrong doesn’t mean that UNC has done something wrong. That is a huge leap for State fans to expect the media to take at this point with no facts of any official or coach at UNC having violated NCAA rules.

    Clearly this has something to with agents, gifts, and parties in Miami. We know this because of what is going on at USC and Alabama who has had both coaches address this issue publicly. Maybe in the long run, UNC will be guilty of something, but right now it only looks like UNC players are guilty of something(specifically being really stupid).

    UNC and players being separate issues right now. There is nothing concrete that is public info at this point to suggest that UNC has done anything wrong.

  13. Skoll 07/21/2010 at 3:07 PM #

    Good Lord, “called in by YOUR OWN FAN”. Something like that would have elicited laughs at the N&O or on your show if it was from one of the blue schools. Give me a break with that crap.

  14. Wolfman300 07/21/2010 at 3:15 PM #

    Normally, I wouldn’t get pleasure from someone else’s pain, but this is an awesome opportunity to throw this in the face of the “holier than thou” unc fans!

    Ovies:

    I want to extend some appreciation and respect for your willingness to come here and discuss this from your point of view.

  15. grantwolf 07/21/2010 at 3:45 PM #

    a) I don’t believe for a second that “lots” of UNC fans think that local media is biased against them. That’s the cop-out that the media gives to State fans all the time to try to justify themselves. “oh yeah, everyone complains that we’re against them”.

    b) Just because you went to NC State, doesn’t mean you were ever a fan. You can tell Mark Thomas was a fan…you can tell DG was a UNC fan….and you can tell Joe Ovious was never a fan. AND…to make sure nobody thinks he was a fan, he goes to the opposite end of the spectrum, just so everyone knows he’s unbiased.

    c) As others have mentioned, the N&O, as well as other local media outlets have seemingly spent more time over the past 3 years investing “illegal” housing of athletes at NC State, and handicap parking stories than they have on BLATANT stuff going on at UNC. *cough* OCTAGON *cough*…*BLAKE” *cough*….*cough* ELLINGTON *cough*….

    The bias doesn’t show up in what stories they choose to run…and what things they pursue…it’s what stories they choose NOT to run and what NOT to pursue that shows where their collective loyalties lie.

    Take Glenn for example. Do I expect him to dig deep with all of his resources to try to find improprieties at UNC? Hell no. Do I figure he did it with the AJ Davis situation?….Hell yes. The man practically staked his reputation on it….and he’s still trying to live it down.

    Has he staked a claim on this scandal? Has he claimed to “get to the bottom of it?” Nah. We’ll just wait to see how it all shakes out.

  16. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 3:53 PM #

    ^Actually, Ned Barnett of the N&O tackled the Octagon issue very hard. He connected the people at Octagon all the way back to the law firm that gave Forte’s mother pro bono representation. The firm had UNC undergrad and law school graduates(one was very involved in the Morehead program IIRC). Ned went into detail about Hightower’s work experience and criminal record. He proved without a doubt that she wasn’t in fact qualified for the position she took (some sort of accounting position IIRC) at Octagon.

    I was amazed that a family member receiving thousands of dollars of legal representation at no charge was of no interest to the NCAA. I guess somehow it was all legal. Once this scandal broke, Forte declared pro and never played another game for UNC.

    Unfortunately, it seems I am the only one who ever remembers those articles. In the Octagon case I don’t think there was anything else the N&O could do unless Dean Smith himself came forward and took credit for everything.

  17. WV Wolf 07/21/2010 at 3:55 PM #

    Very nice work Old MacDonald. The silence out of both the local media and from Chapel Hill says a lot.

  18. grantwolf 07/21/2010 at 3:56 PM #

    I remember the Ned Barnett article very well. Unfortunately, he either wasn’t allowed, or wasn’t interested in seeing it to fruition. I can’t think of a more transparent case of a family receiving LARGE “major violation-type” benefits than the Octagon case….nor one that was as quickly swept under the rug as that one.

    As I recall, UNC did an internal investigation into the case and found no wrongdoing.

    That could have EASILY been the type of story that would have run for weeks until all the facts were out in the open…but it died on the vine, as so many UNC stories do.

  19. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 4:03 PM #

    ^Articlessss. Not article. Ned tried. But you can only print what you can prove. Once he showed all of the connections, then there wasn’t much else he could do since obviously nobody at UNC, Octagon or the law firm were going to go on the record about it claiming UNC did something wrong.

  20. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 4:06 PM #

    RICHARD NEAL, an attorney for VA-based Octagon, disclosed in a July 17 memo sent to a Univ. of NC athletic official that former Octagon employee WANDA HIGHTOWER — the mother of former Univ. of NC G JOSEPH FORTE — “left the firm” on June 22, five days before Forte was selected by the Celtics in the NBA Draft, according to Ned Barnett of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER.

    Hightower’s employment with Octagon, which has since signed Forte, “has raised questions about whether she was hired in an effort to influence Forte’s choice of an agency.”

    GEORGE JETER, a spokesperson for the NC Secretary of State’s office, confirmed Monday that an investigation “into the hiring is under way.” Neal wrote in the memo the “latest summary of Hightower’s employment shows there was no violation of the state law that forbids agents from offering anything of value to induce an athlete into entering an agreement with an agent.” But Neal “declined to say why Hightower is no longer” at Octagon.

    The memo revealed that during Hightower’s year at Octagon, her “duties included filing, copying, contacting vendors regarding outstanding balances and establishing a collection process.”

    Barnett noted Hightower has also “been convicted of writing bad checks and was arrested twice in 2000 for failing to return rental vehicles for months.”

    Hightower left Octagon four days before the News & Observer published a story on her background and the circumstances surrounding her hiring” (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/31).

  21. grantwolf 07/21/2010 at 4:09 PM #

    Oh, let’s not get into hyperbole.

    I emailed Ned on June 26th, 2001, asking lots of questions about the case, and pleading for him to not give up in his efforts. His response was as follows:

    “Jon,

    you questions are good ones and most of them we share. hightower may
    have left HP because her wages were being garnisheed at $600 a month by
    a former landlord whom she owed $15,000. her payments stopped when she
    left HP. that may be the reason why she said she faced a transfer.

    someone helped clean up the rental car problem, we’re not sure who.

    best stay tuned.
    regards,
    ned barnett

    To my knowledge, there were no more investigative articles printed by Ned Barnett or the N&O on the subject. The only articles occurring after this date were the updates on the “investigations” taking place, all of which showed that everything was good ole’ honky dory.

    Octagon desperately needed the financial services of a convicted felon and deadbeat, and the fact that her son was a star basketball player they hoped to represent had nothing to do with it. The fact that later, Forte signed with Octagon was a shock to everyone (Hightower, UNC, and Octagon included).

  22. LRM 07/21/2010 at 4:13 PM #

    Ovies made a good point above. Things like this are actually rendering the traditional media outlets even less relevant than ever.

  23. Daily Update 07/21/2010 at 4:14 PM #

    Grantwolf: There was more than 1 article. I know that. I will shoot an EZIM next time I see a post of yours on Packpride.

    There was a state of NC investigation into the Octagon hiring of Hightower. The only way UNC could have been burned is if they instructed/asked the law firm to give her legal representation pro bono. However, there was no way that could have been proven. Ned tried.

    Otherwise, it is much like the MA situation….an agent/benefits issue that would only jeopardize collegiate eligibility and wins if an ineligible player participated in games. Not any violation that UNC committed.

  24. grantwolf 07/21/2010 at 4:18 PM #

    I will…not showing up yet though.

  25. TOB4PREZ 07/21/2010 at 4:48 PM #

    UNC and players being separate issues right now. There is nothing concrete that is public info at this point to suggest that UNC has done anything wrong.
    ———————————————————
    the only problem with that is….. when Jimmy V’s boys were selling their sneakers and/or complimentary game tix, we were told it was an NCSU PROBLEM, and NOT the problem of a few individuals….
    Please excuse me for FAILING to see a difference between what our players did then to what the unx players are doing now. I mean are you implying that V KNEW about the sneaker/tix sales????

    Perhaps you could be so kind, as to take the time to explain the DIFFERENCE to me…. thanks!

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