NCAA "Could Not Conclude Academic Violations" In UNC Investigation As Heels Escape Punishment

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions finally released their findings from a seven-year investigation into the North Carolina Tar Heels, and they found, well, nothing.

The committee "could not conclude" that UNC broke academic rules by having bogus African American Studies courses because they were available to the general student body, not just student-athletes, according to their ruling.

“While student-athletes likely benefited from the so-called ‘paper courses’ offered by North Carolina, the information available in the record did not establish that the courses were solely created, offered and maintained as an orchestrated effort to benefit student-athletes,” said Greg Sankey, the panel’s chief hearing officer and commissioner of the Southeastern Conference. “The panel is troubled by the university’s shifting positions about whether academic fraud occurred on its campus and the credibility of the Cadwalader report, which it distanced itself from after initially supporting the findings. However, NCAA policy is clear. The NCAA defers to its member schools to determine whether academic fraud occurred and, ultimately, the panel is bound to making decisions within the rules set by the membership.

“While student-athletes likely benefited from the courses, so did the general student body. Additionally, the record did not establish that the university created and offered the courses as part of a systemic effort to benefit only student-athletes.”

The NCAA had alleged that UNC committed five Level I violations (the most serious the NCAA can levy), including a lack of institutional control, failure to monitor, and extra benefits stemming from the bogus courses. However, because it was a school-wide issue, the Tar Heels were cleared of all of those allegations.

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While the school escaped punishment, the faculty involved did not.

Julius Nyang'oro, the former department chair of African-American Studies, and Debby Crowder, a former department manager, both received show-cause penalties from the NCAA. 

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