TMZ Sports reveals more contradictions in Carolina-cover-up

UNC Scandal52

Just a few hours after UNC Athletics Director Dick Baddour publicly embarrassed himself by stating that the UNC investigation was winding down and he could see ‘light at the end of the tunnel’, the Carolina spin machine was in full effect yesterday in response to the shocking news that hit on Wednesday night.

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Part of the spin machine’s mantra yesterday was to paint John Blake a poor man in need of money from when he was a coach at Oklahoma – more than a decade ago.  Evidently, ten years of making more than ~ $250,000 a year isn’t enough to help a man get out of his debts.  But, I am not going to tear apart everything from yesterday as this must read entry does all the work of breaking down a lot of the newest revelations.

What I am going to focus on is another of the Wichard-Blake-Carolina public positions that appears to be cracking under the current heat.  One of the blatant ‘contradictions’ pointed out in Charles Robinson’s piece on Wednesday night:

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports in August, Wichard denied any impropriety between himself and Blake. He also denied that Blake was ever previously employed by Pro Tect Management, despite a brochure obtained by Yahoo! Sports which listed Blake as the vice president of football operations for the agency and described his duties. But Wichard insisted that while the two have shared a 25-year friendship, there has been no financial relationship between the two.

“I don’t get involved with him bringing me players or anything like that,” Wichard said. “It has not happened. … Would John Blake say something positive to a kid about me if he was asked? I would think so. He has seen my work over the years, just like I would say something positive about him in terms of what he can do as a coach.”

(I expect there are direct quotes or comments from Blake in past articles denying that he has ever sent players to Wichard, but I don’t have the time to try to find them right now).

So…just to be clear…despite the odd ‘coincidence’ that 13 of the highest drafted players to have ever played for John Blake, UNC-CH’s Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Co-ordinator for the last four years, the public position remains that Blake has never steered players to Gary Wichard.

Not so fast my friend.

Today, TMZ Sports throws some a douse of reality on the Tar Heels’ newest attempt at defense as a source close to former Blake player Brian Bosworth says:

“the former University of Oklahoma football player was approached by John Blake back in the late 80s — while Bosworth was still in school.  We’re told … Blake, an OU football assistant at the time, told Bosworth, “I have a guy who’s going to change your life.”

That guy was agent Gary Wichard.

Setting up a meeting between an active college athlete and an agent could be a major NCAA violation … and it’s exactly what Blake is accused of doing at UNC. Last month, Blake resigned as the defensive line coach at UNC amid allegations that he was funneling Tar Heel players to Wichard.

As for Bosworth — he eventually hired Wichard as his agent when he entered the NFL.

Clearly, Blake and Wichard have a history that goes back more than 20 years … which is interesting since their relationship is now under the NCAA microscope.

Additionally, today BobLee penned another must-read home-run.

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UNC Scandal

52 Responses to TMZ Sports reveals more contradictions in Carolina-cover-up

  1. NCStatePride 10/01/2010 at 11:22 AM #

    The winds have turned. The media was Carolina’s key defense in this entire fiasco. Without their secret weapon to sway public opinion, these guys are completely and utterly screwed!!!

  2. newt 10/01/2010 at 11:24 AM #

    Don’t worry, AJonesFoxSports will be right on it to explain.

  3. ruffles31 10/01/2010 at 11:29 AM #

    As Jones said on Wednesday’s TZ show, he doesn’t see how Davis won’t be the head coach next year?

    Any new thoughts there, Andrew?

  4. StateFans 10/01/2010 at 11:30 AM #

    Jones is INSUFFERABLE. I’ve been watching, noticing and speaking with some people in the media – his bias is awful.

  5. Old MacDonald 10/01/2010 at 11:44 AM #

    But I’m sure Bosworth is the last player he steered to Wichard.

  6. kbrown 10/01/2010 at 11:45 AM #

    I have a sick feeling that Carolina is going to get merely a slap on the wrist and that will be all. I hope I am wrong and only time will tell, but it is just a gut feeling.

  7. StateFans 10/01/2010 at 11:48 AM #

    You are wrong. I say that nicely.

    USC lost 30 scholarships for what is turning out to be far less violations…and this thing isn’t even close to being done.

  8. imawolf 10/01/2010 at 11:52 AM #

    kbrown has a point. In Baby Blue Confines, “and you are already hearing this” Good Ole Coach didn’t know..and he is going to make changes to see that it doesn’t happen again….and he is getting support from UNCs administration…. Just Saying….

  9. Old MacDonald 10/01/2010 at 11:58 AM #

    I added a link to today’s BobLee piece at the bottom. Absolute must-read.

  10. StateFans 10/01/2010 at 12:00 PM #

    UNC’s administration doesn’t control the penalties that will come their way from the NCAA…or the indictments and crimes that are yet to be prosecuted amongst their former coaches and players.

    And, now, they don’t have as much control over the media to control what hits. Just wait until Charles Robinson’s next story.

    You see…either Thorp & Baddour are 100% dirty or approaching 100% in the dark. I am genuinely starting to believe it is the latter.

    They don’t know what they don’t know.

    So, they can ‘rally’ around Butch all they want. It actually is a GOOD thing for anyone who wants to watch them fall hard. Because it will make them all look MORE stupid when other stuff goes down.

    What I can’t understand is why someone young and supposedly talented like Holden Thorp is going to flush his academic career down the toilet for Butch Davis.

  11. MatSci94 10/01/2010 at 12:03 PM #

    If UNC’s punishment is less than USC, you can’t imagine the stink they will raise. Remember that SC is a private school with basically the same enrollment as UNC (16.5k vs 18k undergrad), with a law school, film school and lots of money. They also just turned over a chancellor/pres and AD, and are not happy with being labeled as the ‘dirty’ school in college athletics.

    serious question – what penalties have ever been given that are worse than SC (2yr postseason ban + scholarship losses for 3 yrs + probation) but not the death penalty?

  12. packplantpath 10/01/2010 at 12:06 PM #

    My wife reads TMZ and I mock her endlessly for it. Now they come out and do something useful???

  13. PackFanInLA 10/01/2010 at 12:07 PM #

    What shocks me here is the lack of any understanding of crisis management from UNC’s administration. The textbook way to handle it is:

    1. Take responsibility up front
    2. Conduct a lengthy investigation
    3. Refuse to comment on specifics during the investigation

    Then you let things sit for a couple of months until it is “old news” and YOU control the release of information, and YOU set the strategy for how it will unfold. Some of these quotes from the UNC administration are just unbelievable. “I think we have the right guy as our coach.” Why would you EVER say that during the middle of a crisis? You say “no comment due to the ongoing investigation,” and then at the end, if you need to throw Davis under the bus you have that option. If your strategy is to protect him and throw someone else under the bus, then you do that.

    Instead, these clowns are playing defense, making conflicting statements, and letting information leak out through multiple channels. This is all chum in the water for the media. And any institutional pass they may have received at the beginning is now long gone.

    Selfishly, I hope these UNC administration dummies continue their incompetence. But on another hand, why are taxpayers paying these guys fat 6-figure salaries when they don’t have any clue how to manage a crisis?

  14. NCStatePride 10/01/2010 at 12:12 PM #

    Yeah, all of you saying nothing will happen are completely insane. Even a slap on the wrist is unlikely. Carolina is uttery and royally screwed. Period. How screwed?

    NCAA has taken over the UNC academic investigation. You remember… the one involving Greg Little who was also on the basketball team. Previously, the university was self-investigating so they could insulate the basketball program. Now the NCAA has their hands in the basket and it appears they are serious about routing out the corruption. Carolina will do anything to protect their basketball team.

    Imagine Carolina simply not playing football for several years. I **** you not, I can realistically see Carolina suspending their football team for a few years in order to tell the NCAA they are cleaning up and leave their basketball program in tact. I’m not sure of the programatics, but in these circumstances I’d be willing to be there are loopholes to allow them not to field a team.

    Still, I’d rather see UNC field a pathetic team for a few years and the basketball team get some sanctions, too.

  15. newt 10/01/2010 at 12:12 PM #

    If this scandal gets as bad as some have prognosticated, the NCAA punishment will be relatively irrelevant for UNC compared to the pain of having to raise the blinds and open the door on their athletics program.

    They still have not been able to bring themselves to admit that they are severely broken and need fixing, but that humiliating admission will be the first step to fixing things once everything comes out.

  16. buttPACKer 10/01/2010 at 12:17 PM #

    Boblee is da man!

  17. JeremyH 10/01/2010 at 12:18 PM #

    I don’t think Marvin Austin will be coming back for any reunions.

  18. Nigel Tufnel 10/01/2010 at 12:38 PM #

    To me, it’s kind of funny that TMZ is digging up dirt on UNX. That has got to be embarrassing on it’s own.

  19. old13 10/01/2010 at 12:38 PM #

    “Boblee is da man!”

    AGREED!! What an article! If all UNC and State grads were like him in their objectivity, we could have a nice friendly rivalry instead of the idiocy it has become in many quarters. It always amazes me that he goes against the norm and actually “tells it like it is” no matter who is involved – including you-know-who! And he’s usually right, or, at least, very close to it, and is always honest.

    BTW I understand that Hollywood is now planning a new movie based on the UNC-CHeat “review” that will star a new comedy group similar to the Three Stooges. Production is being delayed, however, until the actual number of “Stooges” needed for the story can be determined. :>)

  20. GAWolf 10/01/2010 at 12:51 PM #

    Newt: So true. And that made me chuckle a bit.

    BobLee is quality Heel. He ranks up there with other notable and likeable Heels in my life; my wife, my brother (though a unc grad ihe’s all Pack fan), his wife (a UNC cheerleader so admittedly that took some time for me but she is family, and a handfull of others I have come to love and respect.

  21. bradleyb123 10/01/2010 at 12:58 PM #

    Carolina fans will no doubt find yet another way to explain this… they’ll probably say, just because Blake did this before does not mean he did it at Carolina.

    They sure have found themselves making a lot of excuses for this clown. I wonder if and when they’ll ever get so tired of doing it that they’ll just give in and admit their house is burning to the ground.

  22. Gowolves 10/01/2010 at 12:59 PM #

    Let us not forget that there will be other agancies getting involved. Namely the IRS. Blake has not paid back all these loans. If that is what they really are? I have my doubts as most others here. The IRS DOES have subpeona power and they will follow the cash. I am a CPA and I realized this last night. I cant beleive Blake would have reported that as income. But if he has never paid it back then it would be a gift from Wichard from which he(GW) may or may not have to gift taxes on it.

  23. ppack3 10/01/2010 at 1:03 PM #

    “You see…either Thorp & Baddour are 100% dirty or approaching 100% in the dark. I am genuinely starting to believe it is the latter.

    They don’t know what they don’t know.

    So, they can ‘rally’ around Butch all they want. It actually is a GOOD thing for anyone who wants to watch them fall hard. Because it will make them all look MORE stupid when other stuff goes down.”

    I’ve been saying this from the first day that Baddour trotted out his unconditional love for, errr, support for Butch. Baddour has given Butch and Roy free reign over their respective programs, and simply sits back and spins his “Carolina Way” party line. Everyone that I’ve talked to about Chanc. Thorpe says the same thing…”Nice guy, naive and still learning about sports, in general.” Thorpe knows nothing but what Baddour has told him and what he’s learned through Google. Baddour only knows what Butch has told him. You figure out the rest. They continue to support Butch because the started that way, for one thing, and now they are sort of stuck because Butch is holding them hostage. If Butch goes down, at this point, they go down too. Secondly, Butch keeps telling them that he can fix it, and blowing smoke up their tar holes. The same kind of smoke that Blake’s lawyer is blowing, right now. Maybe it’s a case of the spinners being spun?

  24. ppack3 10/01/2010 at 1:06 PM #

    Oh, regarding Thorpe, Statefans, remember that even UNC Chancellors believe that ‘The Carolina Way’ exists.

  25. NCSUPackfan 10/01/2010 at 1:12 PM #

    Some of the fans on here really think that UNX needs to just admit the guilt and accept the penalties. I think what everyone is forgetting is, they (meaning the entire Carolina family) are in denial. That is the first step in the grieving procss. I have a friend whose husband left her, and moved away, has an apartment, new phone, etc and she constantly tells me he might come back. By the way…he isn’t coming back. UNX has to go through the steps….You can’t force them along!

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