Marshall: Investigation to focus on sports agents, not players or coaches

North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said her office has the appropriate staff and expertise to investigate possible improprieties on the part of sports agents.

“We’re securities regulators,” Marshall said this morning in a telephone interview, “and a lot of the same type of business record analysis is what we do in our ordinary criminal and other cases in the security areas. We have the expertise, and it’s very similar to [regulating] stockbrockers. A lot of these athlete agents are financial advisers to these young people and their families.”

The Secretary of State’s office started its probe Wednesday, nine days after NCAA investigators arrived at the University of North Carolina for two days of interviews to investigate possible impermissible activities with agents in the school’s football program.

The state’s Uniform Athlete Agent Act requires agents to register with the Secretary of State’s office, which enforces the law. It prohibits agents from furnishing anything of value to athletes before they sign a contract and from making false representations to athletes and their families.

Marshall said the Secretary of State only has jurisdiction over activity that occurs while athletes are students. The investigation will focus strictly on the agents and not on any athletes, coaches or school administrators. Marshall was asked if investigators will seek cooperation from UNC officials to point them in the direction of people who may have caused problems for its athletes.

“The investigation, it’s just started,” she said. “We will pursue every lead, and I certainly hope they would be forthcoming with suspicions if they have any.”

Marshall, a Democrat who’s running against Republican incumbent Richard Burr for U.S. Senate, said her office didn’t receive a complaint about agents. But she said her department often investigates things it has seen or heard about without receiving formal complaints.

“We will move as quickly as possible, but we will be as deliberate as necessary,” Marshall said. “We will do a thorough investigation and fortunately, we will be able to say if we found something when it’s over, not like some of the other statutes we enforce. So if there is no probable cause, no smoking gun, we will be able to say that.”

Greg Little Sr., the father of North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little, said his son talked to NCAA investigators. The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer have confirmed that North Carolina defensive tackle Marvin Austin also was interviewed.

NCAA investigators also have spoken to Weslye Saunders — a University of South Carolina tight end who is the son of N&O metro columnist Barry Saunders — and Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.