UNC’s Draughn cleared for UNC/GT game; has he figured out his classes yet?

UNC Scandal32

Football Faction – 1
Integrity – 0

Full story here.

UNC cleared running back Shaun Draughn for Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech on Monday.

Draughn, the team’s leading rusher in 2008, was one of 13 UNC players who missed the LSU loss because of the NCAA investigation into the program.

Draughn was the only player of the 13 cleared as of Monday morning. UNC’s running game could use the boost. The Heels rushed for 24 yards in a 30-24 loss to LSU on Sept. 4.

Note this story only indicates Draughn is cleared for the Georgia Tech game. There has been discussion of “rolling suspensions”, so this news doesn’t necessarily mean that Draughn will be available for the entire season. That point will likely be clarified later in the week.

Of course, how would anyone question the academic integrity and prowess of Draughn considering how hard he seems to apply himself in his classes?

News on the scandal in Chapel Hill has been slow since last Thursday afternoon when rumors were running rampant on various websites. Check these links to get up to speed on topics we covered on Friday:

–Chancellor Thorp says college football is hazardous; UNC’s Hawkins deemed an agent by NCAA

Asked, prior to a meeting with UNC’s faculty, if he could definitively say that Davis would remain as the football coach, Thorp began his response by saying it wasn’t a fair question. Then he added: “Competitive, big-time football is a hazardous undertaking, but the plan right now is for him to be the coach next year. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do to get to the bottom of this, and we’re pleased with him.”

–Butch has multiple decade relationship with John Calipari contact Worldwide Wes.

The only other information on this scandal since last Thursday came from Twitter.

Synrygy Sports

Here’s the truth: Hawkins situation is scary & cld be enough alone to do damage to UNC, but Blake situation makes Hawkins look like an angel
about 3 hours ago via web

Reply Retweet
Food 4 thought: If Hawkins says it’s no big deal 2 throw ‘pocket change’ ($1000) @ AJ Green, what r chances he threw pocket change @ others?
about 3 hours ago via web

What r implications 4 UNC re Hawkins? He’s been working out in their facilities, courting their plyrs, & travlng w them 2 meet agents. Scary
about 3 hours ago via web

Yahoo! article on Hawkins indicates that he HAS been asking for extra bennies. Make sense why the NCAA found him to be an ‘agent’ now?
about 4 hours ago via web

More frm Yahoo! article: “Several agents, runners, & financial advisors r expected 2 b referenced in the report”. Goes beyond UGA USCe & UNC
about 4 hours ago via web

From Yahoo! article: “Per our sources, Hawkins has been arranging meetings for players with agents and has requested extra benefits.”
about 4 hours ago via web

Yahoo! Sports: NFLPA awaiting NCAA report on agents. Several expected to be implicated. http://yhoo.it/bGC0Q2
about 4 hours ago via web

Eye-opening article on Tank Black (Once-imprisoned former agent). If agent issues interest u, this is a worthwhile read http://bit.ly/9tFh5H
about 14 hours ago via web

The focus has been on UNC but when Austin was outed 4 training in Cali @ Wichard’s facility of choice, Notre Dame plyrs were on list too.
about 16 hours ago via web

Unfortunately, yes. For reference, It’s more damaging than anything that came out @ USC. RT @TarHeelWire Is “shocking” the same as damaging?
about 21 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to TarHeelWire

@TarHeelWire No revision. Also no definitive timeline. That said, I assure u, the most shocking news re UNC’s agent probs is on the horizon.
about 22 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to TarHeelWire

Also, re Plyr trips, it’s not only a Q of whether they paid their own way. Also a Q of did they pay for everything once they touched down.
about 23 hours ago via web

Inconceivable? No. Unlikely given circumstances, imho, yes. @ChapelHilRealty is it inconceivable 2 think a plyr cld pay his own way (100%)?
about 23 hours ago via web

Burney takes trips 2 Vegas & Atlanta, w Hawkins, who purchased AJ Green’s jersey for $1000, but the plyrs paid their own way for each trip?
about 23 hours ago via web

@Mark_Schlabach ‘s latest states UNC plyrs told NCAA Chris Hawkins set up mtgs w Schaffer 4 them. Note: Schaffer’s firm reps Hakeem Nicks.

UNC Scandal

32 Responses to UNC’s Draughn cleared for UNC/GT game; has he figured out his classes yet?

  1. DaWolfofGC 09/13/2010 at 12:31 PM #

    Draughn is a fine representative of that university…

    *snicker*

  2. 61Packer 09/13/2010 at 12:35 PM #

    One down, 12 to go. Good work, Butch.

  3. triadwolf 09/13/2010 at 12:41 PM #

    I don’t see how rolling suspensions help their cause in the long run. If any/all of the players are later deemed ineligible after the fact they forfeit any games in which those players played. Rolling suspensions just increases the amount of games potentially impacted.

    I guess they may be assuming that their actions will be enough to satisfy the NCAA and there won’t be any additional punishment required. I think that’s a huge assumption with the way things have been progressing unless they know something we don’t.

  4. StateFans 09/13/2010 at 12:48 PM #

    triadwolf…the current staff has no interest in helping any kind of cause for the long run. Their only focus now is total focus on winning football games this year. Everything else be damned.

    They’re going down…so, they’re going down guns a blazing and try to win as much as they can regardless of if things get vacated in the future.

  5. choppack1 09/13/2010 at 12:48 PM #

    Yea – I still get the feeling this will all add up to nada.

    WhenBaddour and Thorp receive a “warm reception” for the BOGs, Butch gets a vote of condidence and players start being reinstated, I have a hard time thinking anything much will come for it.

    On another thread – SFN said for Draughn’s reinstatement: “Score one for the football faction”…my question is that when it comes to UNC, is there anyone in the power structure on the UNC-Ch leadership or the BOG that doesn’t want UNC football to succeed on a huge level?

  6. choppack1 09/13/2010 at 12:50 PM #

    Let me put it more succintly:

    Is there a non-football faction at UNC?

    If so, why are they being so quiet?

  7. StateFans 09/13/2010 at 12:57 PM #

    ^ That is the question.

  8. Plz2BStateFan 09/13/2010 at 1:05 PM #

    I too, want to learn more about this ‘academic faction’ I keep hearing about.

  9. TOBtime 09/13/2010 at 1:16 PM #

    I’m betting there are far more lawyers, “journalists” and politicians in the Rams Club than there are non-athletic academic types. I am QUITE sure the Rams Club is far more concerned with on-the-field performance than they are grades. Heck, lots of those guys are a product of the system. The academics don’t stand a chance and the “journalists” from the unx media don’t have to point that out, just keep quiet and look the other way. The carolina way.

  10. packplantpath 09/13/2010 at 1:33 PM #

    Isn’t he the RB of vaseline fame?

  11. Bowlpack 09/13/2010 at 1:38 PM #

    I’m going to venture that he won’t be the only player cleared to play this season out of that original 13. On the inverse of that, I’m sure that a few of those guys will never put on a Carolina uniform again.

    Butch is still going to either “resign” or get the axe at the end of the season and head off to finish his career as an NFL assistant.

  12. triadwolf 09/13/2010 at 1:59 PM #

    If they want this whole thing to stay limited to football they should suspend all 13 for the season and be done with it. If you let the questionable players play you really open up the whole institutional control issue beyone football. Is BD the only one making this decision? If I’m the NCAA I’m asking why the University is allowing this happen and leads me to question what else the University is allowing. Really, one game suspension for a major academic infraction?

    I realize that we are taking about UNC and that logic doesn’t apply, but if you already know football is a dead man walking just shut up, take your medicine and sacrifice football. I’ve always admired their spin machine, but I think arrogance is clogging better judgement here.

    Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any sympathy for the bastards, but man I just don’t understand their thinking. It’s ALMOST to the point that you feel sorry for them and want to yank the shovels out of their hands.

  13. MattN 09/13/2010 at 2:16 PM #

    Draughn has hidden his tweets now. Not surprising really. But don’t be surprised if SFN is accused of manufacturing Draughn’s stupidity above…

  14. Clarksa 09/13/2010 at 2:21 PM #

    Anyone figured out the reasons that SynrgySports is giving us all this great info on twitter? Their website indicates one partner is a USC grad and the other is a Oregon grad. Are they upset with what happened to USC? Are they pissed at Wichard/Black and how they operate? I hope they keep the info coming…but just curious as to the connection.

  15. choppack1 09/13/2010 at 2:24 PM #

    Triad – I’m just not believing anything will come from this.

    I’m really concerned about the integrity of the investigation – especially the cheating investigation. When the NCAA let UNC have the first shot at the cheating investigation, they essentially gave them “control of the scene”.

    Here’s a comparison of what the NCAA has allowed:
    A police officer for a police department already under investigation for brutality (by the SBI let’s say) – allegedy beats a suspect in a controversial stop.

    The police department says to the SBI – let us handle this. We really want to get to the bottom of it.

    The SBI says, well, you’ve cooperated so far. OK – you’ve got first shot at it.

    Do you really think a proper oversight authority even allows such a step?

  16. cWOhLFrPAiCKs 09/13/2010 at 2:30 PM #

    Isn’t it SOP for the NCAA to allow a school to investigate and punish itself first, and then determine if that was enough? I agree that this whole thing has stunk to high heaven from the get-go. But I still believe that at the end of all this, UNC still has to provide it’s findings to the NCAA. With everything that has been CONFIRMED so far, I don’t see how they get out of this with a bunch of one-two game suspensions. I think UNC may actually punish themselves more than necessary just to make sure the NCAA doesn’t come back. That’s what I would do, especially if I had a basketball program that I didn’t want ANYONE poking around in…

    EDIT: Is anyone else not that surprised that the Academic Investigation UNC is completing is not leaking any info?

  17. MattN 09/13/2010 at 2:30 PM #

    Maybe they (Synergysports) want to make sure the NCAA doles out equitable punishment? The (sum of) allegations at UNC are FAR greater than what happened at USC. If UNC’s punishment is less severe, the NCAA will have some explaining to do…

  18. TENN Packfan 09/13/2010 at 2:39 PM #

    “This is by no means an excuse for the game. But Shaun shared something with me after the game that I think our fans need to know. Now, again this is by no means an excuse….. Shaun was worried about the cold wind on Saturday. He told me he put vaseline on his face and arms prior to the game. Evidently after rubbing his face and such he got the vaseline on his hands……. We have a new rule in the UNC locker room…. NO MORE VASELINE”. CMFBD

    I wonder what CMFBD’s definition of “and such” is?

  19. old13 09/13/2010 at 2:41 PM #

    Post comments on the article at the CO site for more general public viewing. Also here:

    http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/09/13/article/uncs_draughn_cleared_to_return#nrcRgn_PgBody

  20. triadwolf 09/13/2010 at 2:56 PM #

    Choppack – I hope you’re wrong that nothing will come of it. In classic NCSU fashion – the data points indicate a shift in the process and a definite trend, there is no way the NCAA can see these occurrences as independant and isolated. If I’m USC I’m watching this thing like a hawk, and if nothing comes of it I go ballistic on the NCAA.

  21. choppack1 09/13/2010 at 3:28 PM #

    Yea – triad, but the NCAA reserves the right to say, “UNC cooperated, you didn’t.”

    Remember, we hurt ourselves far more than the NCAA did. After their findings, V could have continued on as coach and he would have had a chance to coach Fire and Ice in their senior years in the NCAA tournament.

    Like you noticed – the data all appears to be indicating “nothing major” to come of this right now. That can change but the doomsday scenarios have certainly not materialized to date.

  22. eas 09/13/2010 at 3:34 PM #

    You would think somewhere along the line that UNC would say we are not going to tolerate this kind of stuff and send everyone involved out the door. It is one thing to have kids dismissed for connections with agents but to have academic implications is a completely different animal.

    If I were an Alumni of UNC (that was very difficult to type….) I would be pissed to think the academic issues are on the back burner. I mean this isn’t the University of Miami….No wait, maybe it is.

    The university would look much better making a statement that clearly shows they don’t put up with this kind of junk. However, they refuse and it continues to make me smile. Not to wish bad luck on anyone but it’s about dang time! Go Pack!

  23. choppack1 09/13/2010 at 4:42 PM #

    eas – really?

    Speaking from experience, I was at State from 88-92 and I didn’t want us to get probation, lose scholarships and whatever – and I would have wanted to handle quietly.

    UNC could definitely send a strong signal. They could say – going forward we will not allow a football player to enroll at UNC unless they have a GPA of—oh, let’s just say 2.7 or higher.”

    They could require football players to maintain 2.5 GPA or higher.

    They could be closer to Stanford, Vandy or Duke if they wanted to…it’s real easy – and that’s essentially that was what happened to us. We had some of the highest GPA’s in the land for incoming recruits from when Les took over to when he left.

    However, there’s no evidence they are going to go this route. And it’s smart for them to do it. They won’t get called out on it by the people they care about…

    It’s a lot like a late Senator from Massachuesetts. In a decent and fair world – that guy would have never been able to hold onto his job. However, the only people who really cared about that kind of thing weren’t going to vote for him anyway. The newspaper that could have brought him down and reminded folks about his past agreed w/ his world view – so they weren’t going to go after him.

    He stood for the right things for enough of the people so these people forgave him and essentially gave him a pass. These groups gained nothing by going another route, so they stuck w/ him.

    I think a similar issue is at play here. UNC fans – and that includes alumni, boosters, general fans and as far as I can tell, the majority of the faculty – aren’t bothered enough by this type of thing to want a major change of course.

    And a lot of those in the media don’t have enough to gain by being critical here – so you’re not seeing any rush to judgement.

    I may be wrong – but I’d be shocked if UNC goes the Stanford, Duke or Vandy route. They’ll go the Michigan route – which is – “You hate us – so what. We’ve got a law school, a med school and a journalism school – what are you going to do??”

  24. baxter 09/13/2010 at 4:54 PM #

    The way it is being handled is that players are being forced to prove their innocence instead of prove their guilt. The academic approach I’m guessing has assumed that anyone involved with the tutor(s) is guilty and must prove they didn’t violate the academic honor code. That is why you are going to see a few guys at least be allowed to play from the academic investigation. I think in this portion of it, the UNC administration is doing the right thing to prevent potential eligibility issues by confirming first that they should be allowed to play. Until a player is proven within reasonable doubt they are not guilty (which is how it has to be in academics) they won’t be allowed to play.

    UNC has gotten doubly lucky with this bye week before GT, which raised eyebrows before the season started, now with this academic investigation having more time to pan out and not lose a game opportunity for players.

  25. highstick 09/13/2010 at 5:28 PM #

    I’d say the Honor Court is “dogging it” then cause it doesn’t take long to deal with those type situations. You’re not dealing with DNA samples and gloves with Tutorgate!

1 2

Leave a Reply