You have to hand it to Holden Thorp and the UNC Board of Trustees. They stood behind Butch Davis for months, passing on every opportunity to fire him, then pulled the trigger only days before practice for the new season begins. It's the right move, but at the wrong time.
Davis had to go. That much had been obvious to neutral-minded people for months. When an oil tanker runs aground, they don’t put the captain in charge of the cleanup. If Davis knew what was going on in his program, with John Blake and Jennifer Wiley and all the agents handing out goodies, that would obviously be bad enough. It’s no less worse that all of this was going on under his nose, with Davis impervious and oblivious.
By firing Davis now, Thorp and the trustees put the players on North Carolina's football team who didn’t do a thing wrong -- the vast majority of the players on this year's roster -- in an almost impossible position going forward.
A coaching change a week before the start of training camp is about as big a negative as you can slap onto a team’s season. It’s an uphill climb for the Tar Heels now, a season in purgatory, and there are a lot of innocent players who already saw last season diminished by the misdeeds of their teammates.
Thorp has had ample reason to cut Davis loose for almost a year, ever since that awkward night he apologized to fans because the investigation had uncovered possible academic fraud and, oh by the way, the tutor we would soon know as the mysterious Jennifer Wiley just happened to have worked in the Davis household. Even the day last month when the NCAA finally got around to handing down its Notice of Allegations would have been a better day.
Let us hope for Thorp’s sake, despite the denial in the press release, that he has access to new information that justifies the timing of this move. Perhaps there was something in the yet-to-be-released records from Davis’ personal phone that made his dismissal imperative, not merely changing dynamics among the trustees, with Wade Hargrove taking over for Bob Winston as board chairman.
Otherwise, the timing of Davis’ firing is as baffling as the long delay in getting to this point in the first place.
Luke has worked for The N&O since 2000. He covered the Carolina Hurricanes and the NHL before becoming a sports columnist in August 2008. A native of Evanston, Ill., he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 829-8947 or 
Comments
Thorp''s future
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 19:32 — Walt_in_DurhamLuke DeCock wrote: "Let us hope for Thorp’s sake, despite the denial in the press release, that he has access to new information that justifies the timing of this move."
Quite right! If Thorp can't point to some new information, he's just as guilty as Davis. Frankly, Thorp's lead from behind policy is not working for the university in more than just this area. It's time to find a new Chancellor.
Walt-in-Durham
Y'all need a coach.
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 19:00 — smokinjoeY'all need a coach. I need a job.
M.Leach
Key West Florida
I'm not actually Mike Leach but he would win starting now, graduate a high percentage of players, fill the stadium from day one and make everyone happy except a certain sportscaster on espn who no one cares about anyway.
You would not have to worry about discipline problems and he is beyond making headlines like from Texas Tech.
Someone will hire him and if not you, who are you going to find that will come to N.C. and win right away.
"...he would win starting
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 20:02 — peetiepup"...he would win starting now, graduate a high percentage of players, fill the stadium from day one and make everyone happy except a certain sportscaster..."
Just make sure that the recruits hook up with McAdoo's prof.
Right Move at the Right Time
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 18:44 — omegapsiphi44It takes Real Family Jewels to fire your football at this time of the year. The timing was perfect.
'Bout time
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 18:44 — oldwellerAs I have been saying for nearly a year, and I am a Carolina alum, Davis had to go. Yes, he should have been fired sooner, but today's better than tomorrow. Thank goodness it happened before the start of training camp. Obviously the timing had something to do with Hargove replacing Winston on the BOT. It's tough for the players, sure, but that's show biz. It's up to Baddour to start making some very smart moves or he, too, should walk the plank. In any case, I can wince a little less now when I see a headline about UNC and the football program. Davis never should have been hired in the first place--simple as that. He had a stained reputation, as did his buddy John Blake. Neither of them ever should have been allowed to set up shop in Chapel Hill. This has been a brutal chapter in the history of Carolina athletics, and it ain't over yet with the NCAA punishment still to come regardless of today's events.
StaIned reputation before UNC
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 20:49 — gvillegatrWhat are you talking about ... stained reputation ? Please expand on this if you do not mind.
The title of this article is
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 18:01 — mad_maxThe title of this article is perfect. I fully agree.