UNC: Lack of Institutional Control

This week as the NC State (4-4, 0-4) football team enjoys a much needed weekend bye, the sports world has been abuzz with the release of  Kenneth Wainstein’s 131 page report on the UNC Athletic program.  Wainstein, a former U.S. Justice Department  official tasked by the university to examine the program, found systemic problems that dated back to the 1980’s.  Over 3,100 students and athletes were implicated in one of the largest bogus course scams ever uncovered.  The NCAA even re-opened a previous investigation after new allegations were uncovered during the Wainstein probe.

Amid the turmoil created by the report, whistleblower Mary Willingham appears to be vindicated after her assertions on ESPN’S Outside the Lines that some UNC football and basketball players “were woefully unprepared for the academic rigor at this place.”  Willingham added, “If you’re familiar with our story here we hire people who tend to whitewash anything that’s negative against the university and against the brand…”

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The scathing report cited courses that did not require attendance, and required only a research paper that was reviewed by a teacher’s assistant or an office secretary.  Students who enrolled in these courses received full credit along with A or B grades without regard for quality or substance.

Former player Rashad McCants created a firestorm earlier this year when he claimed that academic fraud occurred during his tenure at UNC and that head basketball coach Roy Williams was aware.   McCants declined to assist Wainstein in his investigation, perhaps because of the backlash from former UNC players who came out in support of Williams.

In the meantime, all we can do now is await the NCAA’s decision on what if any new punishment will be levied against the storied Tarheel athletic program.  “Lack of Institutional Control” is a term NC State fans know all too well.  If ever there was a situation where the term applies it would be here.

UP NEXT for the Wolfpack:  at Syracuse (3-4, 1-2) on November 1, 2014