Amid rumors that North Carolina might be interested in leaving the ACC to join another conference, Bubba Cunningham, the UNC athletic director, emailed a letter today to UNC supporters that reaffirmed the university’s commitment to the ACC.

In the days since Maryland announced it would leave the ACC to join the Big Ten, Cunningham has received correspondence from UNC fans who have expressed concern about the Tar Heels’ affiliation with the ACC. Further, some national media members have speculated whether UNC would be interested in another conference.

In his letter, Cunningham dismissed such speculation. Here are his words:

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Been a busy stretch of days for North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who traveled to Virginia on Thursday night for the Tar Heels’ football game, then to Los Angeles on Friday for basketball, then back to Virginia for the field hockey team’s national championship game against Princeton and then, on Monday, to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.

I caught up with Cunningham yesterday for a short interview about Maryland leaving the ACC: 

CHAPEL HILL — Six North Carolina sports teams on Thursday received public recognition awards from the NCAA for ranking among the top 10 percent nationally in academic progress rate (APR) for athletes.