And you thought we would get at least 48 hours to enjoy the pseudo-win from Saturday night. Not so fast my friend.
UNC defensive line coach John Blake, who has been connected to the NCAA investigation of agent contact with Tar Heel players, has resigned effective immediately. Blake cited the fact he had become a distraction as the primary reason for stepping away.
For the record, I always assumed this would happen after the season not right now. The fact it is happening now lends itself to a variety of interpretations. If you want to go straight for the Chicken Little reaction Blake jumping ship signals there may be violations with his name attached to it. If that is the case UNC could be treading into an area where the NCAA puts the football program in their sights instead of just a few players. The other possibility lies in something that came out last Friday when UNC announced which players were not making the trip to Atlanta(emphasis mine):
Declared ineligible, out for LSU:
Austin (who was suspended indefinitely on Wednesday for breaking team rules); Little; cornerbacks Charles Brown and Kendric Burney; defensive ends Michael McAdoo and Robert Quinn; and safety Deunta Williams. UNC is coming up with a proposed “remedy,” or punishment, that the NCAA would accept to restore eligibility.
Is Blake’s resignation part of that remedy? Perhaps Blake did not commit any violations but his continued presence(and agent ties) would be problematic in the eyes of the NCAA so UNC is offering him up as a sacrificial lamb of sorts. It also could be a case where UNC has decided to clean house. Blake’s name ain’t the best in college football from a reputation standpoint. Cutting ties with Blake shows UNC is willing to clean up their own house in response to the current scandal. And since you assume there must be some measure of discipline taken against the coaching staff, Blake was the most likely candidate. Blake’s reputation and connections to agent Gary Wichard is one aspect of it. Another is the fact so many defensive linemen have been implicated in the NCAA probe which creates more questions for Blake. And since Butch Davis is walking around shoulder-to-shoulder with Holden Thorp you have to figure someone else was going to take one for the team.
[Doc: Before the Blake news broke, I had a piece in the pipeline about Chancellor Thorp's open support for Butch Davis and what might be gleaned from that. The short version is that either Thorp has supreme confidence in Davis and his role in this whole thing, or he is acting naively as a still wet-behind-the-ears new chancellor. Given that Davis was Blake's high school coach and has stuck with him through thick and thin, this is a significant development in that either UNC, or the NCAA, or both have decided Blake has to go. I would also note the difference in Baddour's tone in his public comments (i.e. cone of silence, as opposed to his openness about the academics issues) meaning this falls squarely in the NCAA's province. Carry on.]
I suppose they could be telling the truth here and Blake does feel he is a distraction. If you believe that you probably also believe Matt Doherty resigned of his on volition in 2003. UNC probably did not want to terminate Blake since (1) there may not have been cause and (2) this way Blakes gets a golden parachute. At any rate, the group of people hardest hit by this news outside of Blake’s players are clearly NC State fans. Yes, really.
![[Bloglines]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.tarheelblog.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Austin is all done too..which is fine with me…
Had a few conversations last night with LSU fans who were mostly drunk but really nice. One asked me, what was going with the team? I gave him the short version and he laughed and said, “ya’ll just don’t how to do IT up there”…….
What a great game. The last few downs inside the 10 reminded me of BD’s first game @ State where the Heels had FOUR downs to score and couldn’t do it. Clearly Zack was interfered with but they ain’t gonna make that call.
First comment about the game. I am proud of the non-cheaters who made a great comeback that fell short of a win.
Second, I am glad to see the resignation of Blake. Too many character questions surround him.
Third, I sincerely hope that Marvin Austin is never allowed to put on another Tarheel uniform and soon leaves Chapel Hill for wherever the hell he wishes to be.
If this is the type of coaches and athletes that we must have to reach elite status in football, then I am ready to go back to the mediocre days of the past.
Our sustained success in basketball did not come thru the achievement of cheaters.
The integrity of my University is now and will always be more important to me than a won-loss record in ANY sport.
Go Heels!! (and begone with dishonest imposters).
Well, it is a major buzz kill to go from what was almost one of the greatest comebacks ever in Carolina football to what I interpret as an indirect acknowledgment by the University that a member of the coaching staff is, to some degree, involved in the mess we are in.
As for Marvin Austin, I never want to see him play again. I don’t care how talented he is. At this point, when you measure how much good he has done for the football program vs. how much harm he has done for the football program (and University) clearly he has done way more harm then good … so much so, that even if he played this year and had a Heisman worthy season (which he won’t…) the scales still wouldn’t balance out.
Since I (probably) won’t have the pleasure of seeing a breakthrough football season this year, can I at least have the pleasure of watching the guy who ruined the season lose millions of dollars as his draft stock plummets?
quick question if anyone knows.. the players that are on suspension are they involved in both agentgate and tutorgate?? Is is specific to each individual..I assume from what I have read..that MA and GL and coach BlaKe are invovled with the agent investigation?? Sorry to sound stupid, but I do not live in NC and have been folowwing investigation via blog, inside carolina and espn.. Probably neer really know what happened except for those invovled…
lots about this subject on inside carolina board…
As long as Marvin Austin is still in shape by draft time, he’ll be a first rounder. As for Blake, it was nice knowin ya.
ya, I agree no matter what happens MA will get drafted next year absolutely ..some team will take a chance on him even with his off field shanigans..
would you say that most of players suspended are suspended beacuse of academic issues or agent issues??
Baddour tells Channel 11, WTVD, that no one is expected to be dropped from the team.
so there’s something you can draw a conclusion from on Austin. unless the unspoken loophole is that Marvin will leave the team on his own, but i dont read that.
he couldnt say if or how many players would miss the GT game. that they continue to investigate and work with the NCAA on solutions.
Austin, Little, and Quinn are agent related suspensions I think…the rest academic….I think…
i’m not sure what theyre investigating with Quinn and the agent issue.
as a rising junior, he is allowed zero contact with agents, as i understand it. youd think that would be easy to determine.
as a senior youre allowed to sit down and eat with one as long as you pay for your own food.
i dont know how these things work, if theyre literally trying to find out from witnesses if Quinn was at a table with one, or at a party with one, or called one, or got a call, or backed into one in Lowe’s parking lot.
“i dont know how these things work, if theyre literally trying to find out from witnesses if Quinn was at a table with one, or at a party with one, or called one, or got a call, or backed into one in Lowe’s parking lot.”
with the rumored level of agent saturation around Chapel Hill this summer…probaly all of the above
thanks for info everyone.. wow alot in regards to academics. oh jeepers….I never was a MA fan when I started following UNC footbal..just his swagger should I say….but i have only been following UNC football for past 3 years.. and the academic issue is a tutor not being legit or something to that effect. i find it intersting that most of players involved are communication majors (think I read that somewhere)
WRAL reporting that Defensive Coordinator Withers may be exchanging jobs with the linebackers coach.
uh, what?
I would think that the NCAA and UNC have a pretty clear understanding on the NCAA violations and the academic items remain open. I would think they are going to get all of this done over the course of the week and move on which should allow us to have a decent set of practices before the GT game and clear understanding of what players will be on the field.
I would think that Blake was part of the deal with the NCAA. You wouldn’t pay him for the season if he had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar. You would probably make this move if you can save a little face with the NCAA however. I don’t think the administration or the coaching staff wants anything other than a clean program. Dickie stating that nobody would be kicked off the team is far different from stating that MA will be leaving. Why would he leave the team on his own, I think he cares for his team and wants to stay. He made some bad decisions but I don’t think he’s completely centered on himself. I don’t really know if that is true but I think you have to consider his viewpoint as a player and his fellow players. I know he has always been active in promoting UNC and helping on the recruiting side (wince). People make bad decisions, kids especially make bad decisions, there’s nothing to be done for it. Hopefully everyone has learned from this experience, it sure seems like we could have been a little more aware of the tutor issue.
Not sure about the rumors regarding Withers but if I was Butch Davis I would want to lock him down and since Blake was in the Assistant Head Coach Role, something like that at least, this would seem like a good idea. Blake leaves, elevate Withers, move onto the next set of decisions.
I was hoping that the Blake story was a prelude to a bigger story today on a holiday Monday. We are supposedly good at managing the press but you wouldn’t know that after watching the bus debacle. Time will tell, at least we know the extent of the potential damage and I would think we will get the rest of this sorted out in time for the GT game.
^the story isnt that Withers would be Assistant Head Coach. Blake was the D line coach. there is a linebackers coach now.
sounds like a DEmotion for Withers.
if true.
WRAL provided basically no solid evidence.
Still think there is potential that Austin could get suspended for the season by school…???? along with a few others.
different looking uniforms for VTech..
oh ya for all the UNC alums and fans getta send some voting for Rick Fox on DWTS…UNC fans stick together!!!!…………probably cracking up laughing..I know I am….
ya I agree, we thought tarheels got off to bad start..Vt even worse..will come back to haunt Vt
***PLEASE SEND HELP***
I went to the game in ATL but didn’t record it. I spent about an hour slogging through Time Warner screens last night trying to find a rebroadcast but couldn’t get it done. Kill me. I found the game on ESPNU listed as Football, no details and got to see the last three minutes then I found the last three minutes on a show called Crunch Time but that was it. Does anyone have a better solution, an online search, anything. Since this was a National broadcast I don’t think it will show up on Carolina onDemand.
^you may have missed your chance. i think it was on maybe twice already.
HOWEVER, i think last year that Channel 24 Time Warner would play our games condensed on either Tuesday nights or Wednesday nights.
not sure the time. i would ck from 5 on, but it isnt going to be on TW’s guide, i bet.
i thought Tyrod Taylor was poised til the last series. or that the plays called were not ideal. seemed like all 4 downs every wideout went deep. they had been killing Boise with the short stuff all night, and outfighting them for extra yardage. from the 35 and 2 TOs, i thought they had plenty of time.