North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams spoke publicly Friday night about the latest investigation into the school's academic fraud case following the Tar Heels 111-58 exhibition victory over Fayetteville State.
"We made some mistakes for a long time," said Williams. "It's a very sad time for us."
According to an independent report, the university's AFAM department ran "paper classes" where students didn't have to show up for class and were designed to be "GPA boosters". The academic fraud went on for 18 years and involved over 3,100 students, over half of which were athletes.
10 members of Williams' 2005 national championship team were AFAM majors, which he said raised concerns. He insisted that he tried to do the right thing, addressing concerns over "class clustering" during that season, after which he said he tried to change things.
"I didn't like that we had so many guys in the same major," Williams explained. "I didn't think it made sense."
The 131-page report did not implicate Williams in any wrongdoing, but Wayne Weldon, a counselor who came to UNC from Kansas with Williams in 2003, was identified as someone who directed players towards those "paper classes".
North Carolina has turned a copy of the report over the NCAA, and are awaiting any potential consequences.
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