John Blake’s World Could Come Crashing Down

There was very heavy conversation about John Blake’s resignation that can be reviewed by clicking here. Today has given us a very interesting entry from the Sports Agent Blog is making its way around the internet. The full article is linked here.

When I first brought up the Blake/Wichard tie, my source wanted me to write more. At that point-in-time, it would have been too risky to do so. All that could be proved was that the two had been friends and “business partners” in the past and might still have had a relationship. Now that Marvin Austin, the defensive tackle that Blake used to coach, has been subpoenaed by investigators from the office of North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, much more could come out about Blake’s connections with Wichard. If that occurs, it would not be surprising that Blake gets slapped with his own subpoena. Then it will be a free-for-all.

The end of the entry does a good job of throwing out some questions that should give readers some things about which to think. Relatedly, we have been compiling a solid list of questions related to the scandal – and its coverage by the media – that you will enjoy here.

If Wichard had never gone down to UNC to recruit Austin or any other UNC player, that would imply that he also never went to the school to recruit Kentwan Balmer. If that is the case, then how did Wichard sign Balmer? How did Wichard meet Balmer, considering that Wichard is all the way on the West Coast? Who took Balmer to meet him? Was Blake somehow involved there, as well? Did he make the trip out west with Balmer?

There are many unanswered questions that may be solved depending on the depth of forthcoming investigations. Various parties are already taking protective measures. UNC and Blake have cut ties after Blake’s resignation and Blake has hired multiple prominent lawyers.

UNC Scandal

36 Responses to John Blake’s World Could Come Crashing Down

  1. choppack1 09/07/2010 at 11:59 AM #

    Just a guess how you find out if Blake is using a “burner” phone:

    You don’t look at Blake’s records – but rather – the other players and other recruits. You look for the same # showing up for certain time periods.

    I wonder if Blake’s resignation hints at cooperation or some kind of plea deal – especially given the attorney’s hedging when asked a direct question. (I’d expect a rather forthright question to that answer if he was pure as the driven snow.)

  2. TOBtime 09/07/2010 at 12:10 PM #

    If ANY of the connect-the-dots stoies are true the subpoena for Marvin was simply to further pry the lid off the drum Blake was hiding in. I’m fully expecting a subpoena with his name on it to be delivered soon (and no, I don’t have a source).
    ^chop, I’m thinking if subpoenas really start flying there won’t be a need for a search of phone records. Guys are going to start coming forward looking for plea deals if they cooperate. Only so many of those will be handed out so if you KNOW they (state, federal, whoever) will eventually come calling why not strike early and minimize your own pain?

  3. LRM 09/07/2010 at 12:21 PM #

    This whole ordeal could easily be made in to an HBO series like The Wire.

  4. LKNpackfan 09/07/2010 at 12:31 PM #

    if he has been taking his players like Kentwan Balmer, to Gary Wichard, and even possibly receiving kickbacks for the referrals based on the NFL contracts they sign, he could be in major trouble.

    And so could BMFD.

  5. choppack1 09/07/2010 at 12:32 PM #

    LRM – If you believe the worst – definitely.

    Part of me is still pretty skeptical that there will be any long term damage to UNC’s football program.

    Lots of stones to be unturned. We know that the local media hasn’t uncovered nearly enough in this case. There have been a few reporters pushing things – but largely, I think you’ve got a lot of Dave Glenn types out there who are too close to Chapel Hill or afraid to the impact of their own careers to push anything.

  6. TAEdisonHokie 09/07/2010 at 12:36 PM #

    I wonder what, or whom, Blake will be willing to give up to stay out of prison? That could be a rather interesting list, don’t you think?

  7. Alpha Wolf 09/07/2010 at 12:37 PM #

    Unfortunately, there will be little damage for letting the biggest scandal in local sports in the past 20 years to slip right under their nose.

    One of my friends who leans towards the tasteless metaphor says that reporters around here “snowball UNC.”

    I didn’t fall off of the truck last night, but when I looked up the meaning of that phrase in the urban dictionary, I laughed out loud.

  8. Daily Update 09/07/2010 at 12:48 PM #

    If Blake is subpoenaed, then he can’t lie about having throw away phones. If he is subpoenaed, which I think is only a matter of time, then he is screwed and this thing could really blow up. Blake could end up going to prison.

  9. Homeboy 09/07/2010 at 1:00 PM #

    did the Pack play this weekend?

    After lunch on Tuesday and still no game article…but plenty of nonsense on the idiots on the UNC football team? Who cares? I want to know how OUR guys did in THEIR game first and foremost…

    Maybe I’m in the minority, but I care more about how the Pack does than how fools in CH act.

    Let’s get our priorities straight, State “Fans”.

  10. Daily Update 09/07/2010 at 1:11 PM #

    ^Go to gopack for a game article. We played Western Carolina. UNC story is still the biggest thing going right now(though the UCF game is big).

  11. Homeboy 09/07/2010 at 1:19 PM #

    I know who we played; the request was a bit facetious. I prefer this site because the quality of writing is much better than gopack…and yes, a UCF preview would be nice as well, since the analysis on gopack is generally inferior to what (used to be?) available on here.

  12. Daily Update 09/07/2010 at 1:24 PM #

    ^Homeboy: This site is a different from others around the net. Also, this isn’t a career for any of us like other sites. We do what we can and with the UNC story getting bigger and bigger, we have limited resources.

  13. packof81 09/07/2010 at 1:27 PM #

    “I wonder if Blake’s resignation hints at cooperation or some kind of plea deal …”

    It kinda looks like he was sacrificed in an attempt to appease the NCAA and the academicians. They just want this whole thing to blow over.

  14. Daily Update 09/07/2010 at 1:28 PM #

    packof81: You can’t have cheaters employed in your athletic programs. Blake was not a plea deal or an attempt to lessen the punishments. He had to go.

  15. Homeboy 09/07/2010 at 1:30 PM #

    Fair enough, Update…it just seems that my priorities for State Fans news (ie the Wolfpack teams first and foremost) must be different than most readers. I can deal with that.

  16. Lunatic Fringe 09/07/2010 at 1:35 PM #

    Homeboy,

    In all fairness, the pre-game articles typically do not come out until Thursday/Friday usually spawned by the injury report & 2-deep chart release.

  17. PackisRolling 09/07/2010 at 1:36 PM #

    Any state fan who believes that a recap of WCU game is more important than the implosion of the UNC Football program is crazy. This is THE story and kudos to SFN for realizing that.

  18. packplantpath 09/07/2010 at 1:51 PM #

    The problem is, there is currently zero NC State football related news. We beat a cupcake, and didn’t learn much in the process.

    So, on to relevant and real news.

  19. GAWolf 09/07/2010 at 2:12 PM #

    Homeboy: Feel free to write a UCF game preview, put it on the forums and it will be posted on the blog. Have at it!

  20. Plz2BStateFan 09/07/2010 at 2:52 PM #

    Here is your article Homeboy.

    Last Sat NC State beat WCU 48-7. Defense looked alright. Pass offense looked fine. Run offense needs work. O line needs work.

    We play UCF this coming Sat. They beat us in 07. This is a revenge game. It is being played in Flordia.

    Nobody really knows how we match up because the first game of the year is almost always the ugliest.

    Fin

  21. Homeboy 09/07/2010 at 2:52 PM #

    I am a Pack fan who does believe that how OUR team did this weekend matters more than how any other school is imploding…I’m a Pack fan first and foremost and a “hater” of other schools way down the list.

    Perhaps I’m too old school, so I’ll just deal with it and check in again when the UCF preview is up – by someone more qualified and with less work than I.

    again: Go Pack!

  22. StateFans 09/07/2010 at 3:09 PM #

    Absolutely!! We are always looking for fresh content.

    Anyone who is interested in supporting the site with some entries then please pass them along and we’ll be happy to share them!

  23. StateFans 09/07/2010 at 3:11 PM #

    Our message forums have quite a few conversations going on about the games of last week and looking forward to next week:

    http://www.statefansnationforums.com/

  24. StateFans 09/07/2010 at 3:18 PM #

    Homeboy…

    …don’t know how much more you could want than this:

    http://www.statefansnationforums.com/topic.php?id=2517

  25. VaWolf82 09/07/2010 at 3:27 PM #

    with less work than I.

    BS like this pisses me right off.

    For the record, no one really cares what you think is important. The authors write about whatever they are interested in. If you don’t like what’s posted here, then don’t let the door hit you in the a$$ on your way out.

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