Former North Carolina associate head coach John Blake will appear in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions on Friday in an attempt to clear his name, his lawyer, Wade Smith, said in a telephone interview today.
Blake is named in three of the nine major allegations against UNC in the Notice of Allegations sent by the NCAA to UNC in June. He stands accused of recruiting players for his friend, the late sports agent Gary Wichard.
Although Blake no longer is employed by UNC, the Committee on Infractions can impose a “show cause order” that could prevent him from recruiting or coaching and make him difficult for an NCAA school to employ.
Since last fall, Blake’s lawyers, Smith and William Beaver, have said Blake did not try to convince players to sign with Wichard. Blake’s first public comments on the matter appear in a story posted today on Sports Illustrated’s web site.
“It's important to me that they know [I'm] an honest and good man," Blake said in the story. "We all make mistakes in life. But my character, my integrity means a lot to me."
Former North Carolina head coach Butch Davis, who was a coach at Sand Springs High School in Oklahoma when Blake played there in the 1970s, said last fall that he was sorry he trusted Blake.
The Sports Illustrated story portrays Blake as being devastated when Davis said that. Davis and Blake also coached together with the Dallas Cowboys.
“I know that John was heartbroken,” Smith said today, “because he absolutely admired and loved – and I think still does admire and love – Butch Davis. And it was very painful for him.”
Smith declined to comment further on the evidence Blake will present to the Committee of Infractions.
Comments
the question is...
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 20:53 — UNC1998will Blake accept UNC's accusations of renegade assistant coach? Or rather will he fight to clear his name with no regard for UNC? I'm not saying it wasn't Blake and Blake alone. he himself said that BD didn't know of anything, and if he did he wouldn't stand for it. If that's the case how can he claim UNC knew of everything? I can understand the sadness of the situation. The man was stretched financially and couldn't sell his house in Norman, Ok. The fact is that you have to live within your means, and if he was taking loans as he asserted he simply was not doing that. However his part of the meeting unfolds... I must be selfish and admit I'm interested in the effect on the football program first and foremost. BD is gone, DB is near gone. The coaches here now will probably be gone for the most part after the season. The question is what situation will the football program find itself in at the conclusion of the penalty phase? Whoever Cunningham hires to be the coach next year must deal with this, and recruit around it.
plus side
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:59 — SurferEternal Optimist here, I think the FB program will be fine. We'll have the hearing, the penalties will be served (whatever they may be) and we will move on. There is too much tradition for it not to be so. Too many people want it done right, while at the same time, producing a winning program. It may take a few years, but I fully expect it to happen.
I tend to agree..
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 20:05 — UNC1998UNC will weather this, and come out it leaner and meaner. I remember my days at school there. The football team was very good. The program faltered due to lack of leadership. I'm not calling Baddour a bad leader, but he had to play with the cards he was dealt. I highly doubt Cunningham would have come if he knew the university leaders were going to low ball the next coaching staff. I tend to think if Thorp and company want out of town on a rail they should try and minimize football. If he likes his job he should do whatever he can to help make it successful. Otherwise, he just isn't all there.
Is his role prior to being
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 20:33 — danofncIs his role prior to being named chancellor, wouldn't Thorp have been in charge of the department that Professor Nyang'oro was the head of?
I'd say Thorp has done plenty for athletics.
Yep, if Blake decides to
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 11:32 — ProwlingWoofieYep, if Blake decides to fight for the salvation of his reputation (good luck), then it could get nasty, and there's no telling what kind of 'new information' could be uncovered. Either Butch knew, or he didn't know, and if he did, then Blake lied to begin with by claiming he didn't.
Blake will either go down in flames alone, or sink as much of the flagship as he can in the process.
hilarious. This is Blake's
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 20:26 — awdracerhilarious. This is Blake's "Hail Mary" to try and keep from being slapped with a "show cause" ruling which will end a checkered college coaching career. He doesn't stand a chance. The NCAA is going to have him for breakfast. It's going to be uglier than the McAdoo hearing. None of the other guilty parties will be there so the NCAA will take it all out on Blake.
Not hilarious from my point
Fri, 10/28/2011 - 00:14 — unc098Not hilarious from my point of view and I rarely agree with you because you are generally an ABCer with no broad perspective at all, BUT I have to agree with you here. There are to many smoking guns and I believe that Blakes assersations are pure balderdash. He IS just trying to save his ass and I believe he is guilty on all counts. I say good riddance to him and the entire system that produced him. If you any of you ABCers think that your alma maters are not tainted by the same BS you are purely delusional.
Can't you just hear the
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 16:13 — ProwlingWoofieCan't you just hear the violin music in the background ???
Blake Said Calls to Wichard Were Encouragement To a Dying Friend
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 15:41 — abftncEncouragement to a dying friend? C'mon man!
"Between Feb. 23 and March 22, 2009, former UNC associate head coach John Blake's phone records show he spoke to Wichard 31 times and Austin 30. During this time frame, Austin took his first trip to California from March 7-14.On March 6, Blake exchanged nine phone calls with Wichard and Austin. Within one hour Blake called Austin three times and then immediately called Wichard. On March 7, Blake called them a collective nine times, each time calls to and from Austin and Wichard fell within an hour of each other, at times the calls were only minutes apart.
During the course of Austin's first trip to California, Blake placed 23 calls to Wichard and Austin combined.
Wichard, Balmer and Austin claimed a coach from Austin's high school paid for the flights for each trip Austin took to California. The coach, Todd Amis, told investigators that Wichard reimbursed his expenses. According to the warrant, Amis showed investigators a canceled check from Wichard's ProTect Management.
Blake's cellphone records show that he and Amis began exchanging calls on March 3. They spoke four times. In one instance, Blake called Wichard three minutes after he spoke to Amis. Amis and Blake spoke twice on March 6, for a total of nine minutes the day before Austin traveled to California. On March 11, the two spoke again for 12 minutes during two phone calls.
After the conclusion of their last conversation, Blake spoke to his lawyer within four minutes and Wichard within six.
When contacted by WRAL News on Friday afternoon, Amis said he had no comment. Amis and Blake did not speak again until March 29. During the time of Austin's first trip to California Blake spoke to his attorney 22 times.
Austin's July 2009 trip
Austin traveled to California again in 2009 on July 23 and stayed until Aug. 1, according to search warrants. Leading up to Austin's trip, cellphone records show more calls between him, Blake and Wichard.
Blake's cellphone records show that he talked with Wichard 85 times from late June to early August. They communicated the most on July 7, which showed 15 calls.
During that same time, Blake communicated with Austin 22 times. Five of those calls happened on July 21, just two days before Austin left for California. Blake also talked with Amis twice on July 21."
Encouragement to a dying friend? C'mon man!
Sad and pathetic
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 21:45 — gvillegatrThat you know this much about Blake's phone records is truly pathetic. You ought to be embarrassed. And, yes, I would expect someone to say this to me if I had just posted what you posted.
I've been to more state football games than most of their fans have :)
And I have spent more time
Thu, 10/27/2011 - 12:12 — noneyabusinessAnd I have spent more time on campus in chapel hill than most "Tarheel" fans have.
Look at me posting irrelevant statements as well!
I'm pretty sure that
Wed, 10/26/2011 - 23:08 — danofncI'm pretty sure that everything in that post except the "C'mon man" lines is cut-and-pasted.