If you’re a younger fan trying to gain some perspective on why State fans are so riled up, then you need to go read this post from 2010.
And remember this the next time someone argues that none of the coaches knew the institutionalized fraud was happening. Remember that in 1989, for NC State, knowing about it didn’t matter.
Here’s a key excerpt:
While the NCAA investigated NC State in 1989, the Poole Commission was formed and the Attorney General got the SBI involved to investigate potential financial infractions. Only minor infractions were found, namely the sale of shoes and game tickets by State basketball players, of which the coaching staff was found to have no knowledge. Yet, Jimmy V was vilified as evil incarnate for harboring an environment lacking oversight and control while the local media, the UNC Board of Governors, C.D. Spangler — and, unfortunately, many within the NC State community — spewed vitriol freely upon his name for it.
For the record, there were no implications of players cheating or improper assistance by any tutors at Jim Valvano’s NC State. There was no institutionalized cheating or academic fraud within the University. There was no grade-fixing. Players who did not deserve to matriculate or graduate were, in fact, not graduating and therefore not destroying the value of the diploma that so many hang so proudly. Nor were there accusations that agents were paying for players’ trips to Miami or California or funneling money through coaches to players.
And, most importantly, it seems that few folks recognize that every sanction leveled upon the State Basketball program was self-imposed by the University, and that the NCAA found this internal punishment satisfactory.
In 1989, the media crucified Valvano. His crime? He should’ve known.
Valvano was forced to resign as AD and then eventually forced out as head coach, and NC State self-imposed crippling penalties for essentially the same thing Todd Gurley will miss a few games over.
Contrast that to the institutionalized fraud that began under John Swofford, Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge and then continued under Roy Williams (until 2007, when he coincidentally started getting his players out of AFAM). They named their arena after one of these guys, one annexed the Big East and saved the ACC and is now one of the most powerful men in sports, and one is the Prodigal Son returned.
The next time someone argues none of them knew, ask them why not? They should’ve known.
