University of North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp apologized today for expressing his disappointment over former football coach Butch Davis offering a team scholarship to his son, acknowledging that discussing a specific recruit is an NCAA violation.
Thorp's comments concerning Drew Davis' scholarship offer came during a Thursday phone interview with News & Observer reporter Ken Tysiac about the NCAA investigation of the Tar Heels football program. Thorp said he was disappointed that Butch Davis had offered the scholarship without consulting with him or UNC athletic director Dick Baddour.
“Yesterday I honestly answered a specific question asked by a reporter about a scholarship offer to a prospective student-athlete," Thorp said in a statement released this afternoon. "I am advised that acknowledging the scholarship offer was an NCAA Level II Secondary violation, which I regret. In accordance with NCAA policy the University has voluntarily reported this to the ACC.”
According to NCAA bylaws, a secondary violation is one “that is isolated or inadvertent in nature, provides or is intended to provide only a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage and does not include any significant impermissible benefit (including, but not limited to, an extra benefit, recruiting inducement, preferential treatment or financial aid).”
Assistant sports editor Lorenzo Perez has bounced back-and-forth between The News & Observer's news and sports department several times since joining the newspaper in 1999. His latest assignment has him working with The N&O's ACC writers and online news. E-mail
Comments
please fire
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 22:55 — jtric1963please fire this so called nut case on the grounds of being a college grad. idiot.
oops ...
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 22:43 — Saltwateroops ...
Oops ....
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 22:43 — SaltwaterOops ....
Holden Thorp, as a new
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 21:53 — pauld315Holden Thorp, as a new Chancellor of a university, doesn't know all of these NCAA rules but I bet you that Ken Tysiac, the reporter was aware that this would be a violation. Instead of him refraining from printing this and advising the Chancellor of the possible infraction, he printed it anyway. I am not a Carolina fan but that is just wrong. If I was Thorp I would never give the N&O another interview.
You are joking, right ??? A
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 22:19 — ProwlingWoofieYou are joking, right ???
A reporter is not supposed to print a story, especially one about a chancellor that openly criticizes his (former) coach for extending a scholarship offer to his less-than-qualified son ???
If he didn't print it, you'd be howling about him suppressing information !
So what....
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 21:51 — Bob_SconceThe NCAA's rules are a farce. How many Division I football players could actually make it as students in their colleges without taking majors that were specially designed for numbskulls and, just in case, school-sponsored tutors to help them through it? 30%? 50%? The student-athlete stuff is a charade, and the NCAA's rules supporting that charade are criminal.
The players ought to be paid by the schools and not required to go to class. Right now, they go to school a few years, hoping not to incur some devastating injury that keeps them out of the NFL. The school, the coach and the boosters make all sorts of money on them. And what does the player get? If he's one of the few smart ones, he gets a real education. If he's not (and most aren't), and he's extremely lucky, he goes to the NFL. But, if he's among the large majority who are neither of those, he returns to whatever small town he came from, possibly with a crippling injury, but almost certainly without any usable skill and without a real degree. (And, no, I don't consider "Exercise and sports science" a real degree.) It's about time that these player actually get some benefit out of their time in college.
Public floggings
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 19:34 — dsspr1are so hard to watch
UNC and sports
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 19:18 — igliigliUNC-CH lost its academic integrity decades ago when it started admitting unqualified athletes.
The only way to regain its integrity to fire all the coaches and sports teams.
Holden Thorp = Ralph Wiggum
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 18:45 — Heels20Holden Thorp = Ralph Wiggum
No offense, but I'm thinking
Sat, 08/06/2011 - 00:16 — mad_maxNo offense, but I'm thinking he's more like Chief Wiggum...actually has a job with authoritative power despite being just about as dumb as Ralph. I'm thinking about principal Skinner too; could definitely see Holden having mother issues.
None taken
Sat, 08/06/2011 - 00:29 — Heels20At best, he's the dean from Old School.
Funny papers
Fri, 08/05/2011 - 18:36 — InspectorPittMy grandmother, when I was just a child, used to read me the funny papers.
Now, I read my own.