Gio Bernard's freshman season at North Carolina is over before it started.
Bernard, a highly-touted running back from Davie, Fla., tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in practice on Sunday. He will redshirt the 2010 season, the school announced today.
Bernard, 5-10 and 205 pounds, was expected to help a rushing attack that ranked 79th in the country last season and add a jolt of quickness to the offense.
Veteran running backs Ryan Houston and Shaun Draughn both return for the Heels. Depth is a potential concern with the absence of Bernard. Sophomore A.J. Blue is still recovering from a knee injury and Jamal Womble left the program in the offseason for academic reasons.
UNC won a recruiting coup over Notre Dame to land Bernard on signing day. Rivals.com ranked Bernard the 12th-best running back in the country.
Comments
I really hate hearing this news...
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 22:26 — UNC1998I was looking forward to seeing Bernard on the field. This is terrible news. Blue, Bernard....maybe stop recruiting guys with a "B" last name. In any event, Houston and Draughn must come through in a big way this year.
If all of you posters really
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 15:43 — mad_maxIf all of you posters really think that JP has something against the Heels, then you really need to go check out the Charlotte Observer and read his articles that talk about how great Butch Davis is, and how he has a reputation of running clean and successful programs.
This article is just informing us that Carolina has suffered a season-ending injury...why are you griping about it?
Haha
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 16:44 — Heels20JPG has specialized in pissing Butch off. All you have to do is watch the interviews. While most reporters are asking about on-field topics, you got Joe over there jamming a microphone in his face trying to ask about the investigation that we already know Davis is not going to talk about. JPG would love nothing more than to see this program collapse, whether it be on or off the field.
Heaven for bid...
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 19:57 — TDiddytif someone in the local media even attempts some investigative journalism. I understand why Butch and the UNC admin are using a Hugo Chavez approach to the media, but that doesn't mean the media should stop trying to do their job.
Luckily, some in the national media (http://tinyurl.com/unc-oops) appear to have a better respect for the integrity of investigative journalism than some of their local counterparts. Somehow, they seem to be closer to the truth than the outlets right down the road.
Baddour and ol' Swofford can shut up most of the principals, but too bad they can't seem to put a muzzle on Gary Wichard.
Oops.
http://tinyurl.com/unc-oops
Didn't say it shouldn't be reported
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 19:59 — Heels20I'm just saying that it makes no sense to publish what is essentially the same story day after day after day. JPG has made no progress at all whatsoever, and yet continues to report what everyone already knows instead of focusing more on the on-field developments.
Give it up already
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 17:03 — mad_maxRead this article posted on July 31st:
**http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/07/31/1594568/reputation-for-clean-programs.html**
Yeah, it really sounds like JP has it in for the Tar Heels.
So
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 18:18 — Heels20When Billy Packer occasionally said something positive about North Carolina basketball, that meant he didn't want them to lose? I know it's tough for you Wolfpackers, but look at the big picture. In all the interviews I've read/watched the past few weeks, JPG has not asked Butch a single question related to on-the-field football.
I hear you
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 18:36 — mad_maxTrust me, I've felt like plenty of journalists were out to get my team too over the years. In fact, in my first year posting here at ACCNow, I actually received a couple e-mails from JP, kindly asking me to stop with the accusations of biased reporting and to stop using the term "N&Blow". At the time, I was proud of myself for invoking a such personal e-mail haha. But I later realized that the media is usually out to get everybody, not just my team. It's not that JP hates this team and likes that team...the fact is, bad news sells.
Mad-max
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 21:32 — unc098You nailed it when you said bad news sells. Stories that create controversy sell. Always has. Always will. Fact of the matter is that he would have been red shirted anyway. The problem is how bad an injury is it and does it diminish his ability to perform in the future. Time will answer that question. As for the article; just seems to be a straight forward declaration of the facts pertaining to this one issue.
The investigation is a big deal and the potential loss of two NFL first round picks WILL have a big impact on this season. My prediction is that we will see both players on the field against LSU. There is a lot of money at stake ( cynical as it may seem ) and hopefully the investigation will be over in the next couple of weeks. A big distraction.
Solution
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 22:44 — Heels20We kick the crap out of LSU and all of this becomes a distant memory. A win is realistic, but a blowout may be wishful thinking. Hopefully our guys will prove me wrong and establish themselves as a legitimate contender for an ACC championship.
My prediction
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:46 — YAR8packUNC 20
LSU 17
The only sure bet in this game will be some of the playcalling that'll make everyone at home give a big WTF. We all know Les Miles is titled "The Mad Hatter" for a reason. Butch is known for some strange calls, too.
Bad news sells for mediocre journalists
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 18:55 — Heels20But guys like Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis know how to get it done the right way. Even Robbi Pickeral seems to be slowly figuring out how much better of a writer she is when reporting things relevant to sports rather than focusing on what a 19 year old is tweeting at 2 in the morning when he's stoned out of his mind. This investigation is serious news and it needs light to be shed on it, but it's a bit of a problem when the vast majority of your articles are on the investigation over a three week period where much of the talk is heating up about what will happen on the field. If you look back at what JPG has written over the past few weeks, almost every article is just a scrambled up version of a previous article. It's honestly quite pitiful.
Sorry this rant happens to be on a blog entry where JPG actually reported something relevant to football. It's mainly a response to an earlier post on this thread.
I've given JP some crap too
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 22:04 — HeelsforeverBut, at least he didn't include the investigation in this story. I'm sure he could have found some way to get it in there with little difficulty. Maybe he's growing tored of it as well.
so
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 22:27 — gvillegatrwhy was it neccesary to remind the reader (us) that Gio was basically taken b/c of a coup? think that has anyting to do with Mr Blake? of course.
He knows how to subtly get his shots in. :)
Hahaha
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 23:07 — mad_maxGood one gatr.
Guilty conscience, or are we just a little paranoid today?
it is
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 09:23 — gvillegatrabsolutley not a guilty conscience.
but it could be paranoia!
We have Hunter Furr (4.2 40)
Mon, 08/09/2010 - 13:22 — jblues1969We have Hunter Furr (4.2 40) and Johnny White (4.3 40), who were ahead of him on the depth chart. He'd likely have redshirted anyway. Not a big blow to the Heels, sorry, Joe.
What are the real chances....
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 12:34 — UNC1998UNC would go beyond the top two RB's on a consistent basis? Blue showed promise, and will eventually be good. Furr is fast, but White's had his chances. We'll just have to see what happens.
Others
Tue, 08/10/2010 - 13:58 — SurferThere is also Elzy and the designed running plays for our WRs.