Alternate title for this post: Random thoughts (in which it may appear I am defending certain people or events although that might not actually be the case) that deserve consideration and discussion. (Additional note: remember the “devil’s advocate” title – I am merely throwing some ideas out there – doesn’t mean I believe everything that’s here. ) Keep that in mind as you read below:
**As the news of John Blake’s numerous phone calls to and from Gary Wichard is breathlessly reported by local media and rival fan bases, does this actually come as some sort of surprise? Dating back to the original Yahoo! story that revealed Blake on a brochure for Wichard’s agency, the media has hyped the “discovery” of the relationship between Blake and Wichard when that relationship has been well-known for years. So now there is evidence that Blake and Wichard talked a lot (actually, wouldn’t frequently be a better word there? Of the 61 calls the N&O highlighted, only five were for more than 10 minutes, and 18 were only one minute long – voicemails, or texts, perhaps?), that proves what, exactly? And yet some media types and ABCers act as if this is some sort of monstrous development. Even Mike at Thee Sports Blog, who has had plenty to say about the issues at UNC, thinks this doesn’t warrant going crazy over.
**Just as a point of comparison, Blake and Wichard had 61 contacts in 61 days (and 92 in the other 174 days). Former NC Highway Patrol spokesman Everett Clendenin sent 2,380 texts just to his married co-worker in a 61-day period. I’m just saying 61 sounds like a lot until you put it in perspective, exaggerated as it may be.
** Will someone please list, in what has been reported either by Yahoo, the N&O, or anywhere else, the actions taken by John Blake that are illegal in some form? Blake’s relationship with Wichard was previously investigated by the NCAA when Blake was at Oklahoma. There is no NCAA prohibition against out-of-work coaches working for agents, as Blake apparently did after he was fired as OU’s head coach. There is also no prohibition against coaches having contact with agents, even if it is 153 times over 8 months. Yes, Blake is a potential conduit between an agent and players, but what specific things has he done wrong?
** It appears that since Blake returned to college coaching in 2003, he has had exactly 3 players sign with Wichard – one each at Mississippi State, Nebraska, and UNC. If he’s a runner or recruiter for Wichard, he stinks at it.
** Why has no one in the local media taken up the larger question – why have Wichard and Blake gone to such lengths to hide their relationship in the late 90s and early 00s? Blake clearly did not put Pro-Tect on his resume and Wichard went into sheer crazy talk trying to deny Blake’s involvement with his company. Why?
**If Blake lied on his resume, how much responsibility falls on UNC or Butch Davis to find that out? And even if Davis knew he worked for/with Wichard at some point, that fact in and of itself is not disqualifying.
** After being out of coaching for five years, Blake was hired by Mississippi State in 2003, and then by Nebraska in 2004, where he stayed for three years. If Blake is somehow dirty, what is the responsibility of those two schools to perform due diligence on Blake?
**If Blake cleared being vetted at Miss. State and Nebraska with a solid employment history of four years, how much deeper are you supposed to dig? Likewise, I understand Blake has a reputation, but even this guy who wrote a piece blasting Blake says he was clean at Nebraska (and offers only guilt by association at MSU).
**Marcel Dareus gets 2 games for accepting $1700 worth of benefits from agents. A.J. Green gets 4 games for selling a jersey for $1000 to an agent. How are you supposed to draw any conclusions from that seeming inconsistency?
**Is it possible that Greg Little retained an attorney because A.J. Greene got twice as much punishment for just over half the benefit as Dareus? Could it be he feels he can’t trust the NCAA?
** And finally, in the last major NCAA investigation in this area 21 years ago, the NCAA found 650 violations of NCAA policy regarding the use/resale of complimentary basketball tickets and potentially hundreds more violations regarding the issuance/resale/trade of university-issued basketball shoes (the exact number was never known because the university never bothered to keep records of who was getting shoes and how many they were getting) over a four-year period. It was also later revealed that a player on the basketball team received upwards of $60,000 from an agent and a booster. And yet, the basketball coach (who was also the athletic director) was ruled by the NCAA to have no knowledge of any of this - in fact, certain members of that fan base will have you know, someone from the NCAA supposedly wrote a letter attesting to the character of the head coach and that he would be happy for his son to play for that coach.
Then why, exactly, if the head coach/AD can have literally hundreds of NCAA violations and tens of thousands of dollars funneled to one of his players over a number of years and not know a thing about it, is Butch Davis supposed to know the exact whereabouts of his players every minute of every day (including intersession, when the Miami party took place) and know the exact number and content of phone conversations between an assistant coach and an agent? Maybe Paul Dee will write a letter saying what a swell guy Butch is and that will make it all better.
Again, the content above does not represent the exact opinion of THF or myself. Nevertheless, these are questions that are up for discussion. Fire away.
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Nicely done Doc.
The point about Whichard only signing 3 of Blake’s players over the years is a very interesting twist I do think. I did know previously that Balmer was the only guy from UNC who signed with Whichard. UNC has had about 10-12 guys drafted in Blake’s time at UNC.
I do commend you for bringing up the truth about Jimmy V. Most of the turds out there defending him weren’t old enough to remember the fact there LOTS of State people who were REALLY tired of his loud mouth (Loud mouth Yankee was term I heard a lot), inconsistent teams and the embarassing types of players he was bringing to NC State. Most of the these people only remember the “Never Give Up Speech”…… Sorry that he died, but I can tell you, if he had lived, he would be reviled.
Nice post Doc, the inconsistency on the punishment is pretty spooky, you wonder what other factors went into that judgement. Like, did the school provide support to the NCAA, hard to know when you have the little general spouting off on national media about the woes of the agent relationships and he’s coming off a national championship.
Regardless the recent employment history it is incumbent on UNC to vet the resume and employment history. That shouldn’t fall to Davis it should be done by HR but it only really matters what the policy states at UNC. Lies of omission or inclusion generally eliminate a candidate from the process. Of course when you know someone you can act accordingly but I would think at a minimum you would want to have him correct the resume and resubmit. Of course you never get there when you place the employment history verification on every hiring manager in the school rather than centralize that function.
Wow, $60K sounds like a lot more than a car ride, a blazer and a hamburger. Thanks for the heads up on that one. My wife went to NCSU and she recalls everyone being angry with him and disliking him due to the troubles with the NCAA. That of course was prior to his passing and heroic battle with cancer. I’m not up on all of the NCSU fun and games, but she was there and recalls Charles Shackleford’s sweet ride as he dated someone in the Syme dorm. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter one bit in our investigation but it does help to have some real information rather than what I’ve read so far from the cow pasture. I mean we are the worst people ever, we have always been so and always will be.
I’m not sure if lying on your resume constitutes any laws being broken, but yes, they still needed to vet him. Why? Think about the Notre Dame fiasco with George O’Leary.
And keep in mind that I said that I don’t think it warrants going nutty just because they texted or spoke that much, given that Blake is Godfather to one of Wichard’s kids. I also went on to say that the length of these calls (granted, the one minute ones could be texts) is what is freaky. We need to know context to form intelligent opinions, and I’m not sure if or when we will know said context.
The thing that makes it smell so bad is the cover-up. Why did Wichard blatantly lie about Blake’s past if there is nothing funny going on? Why did Blake lie on his resume and try to keep his time with Wichard off the books if nothing funny was going on? I want answers. I want the truth! I can handle the truth, can the UNC-CH fans though?
And the letter to Jimmy V is real. By continuing to bring up the NC State scandal you are making the comments at SFN more valid when they are comparing how State was handled versus how UNC-CH has been handled. And keep in mind that Austin could easily be your Shackleford. You have a propensity to keep bringing this up like it somehow changes or justifies what UNC-CH is going through. All it does, however, is throw more fuel on the “ABCer” fire.
And I’m glad that Dean Smith never brought in any “embarrassing” players. Guth or Doh either. I wonder if UNC-CH recruited Shackleford, as we all know the Big Four pretty much recruits the same guys.
The agent investigation by the NCAA has already uncovered a rogue tutor at UNC, selling of jerseys at UGA, and hotel stays at USC. It appears that no college institution could survive this kind of scrutiny unscathed. And we still haven’t seen any punishments for the main purpose of the inquiry: the agent party.
^^Um, I think this is the first time, maybe the second that the State debacle was mentioned on this blog. Still it has no bearing or impact on the current issue at UNC.
No mention or discussion of the posts on SFN or of NCSU could provide some measure of validity to the content found at SFN. Like the cheese, it must stand alone. Maybe IC is a mirror of SFN, I don’t know, I don’t go there, THF is all I need.
Deadspin got it right with college football being largely driven by hate. Let’s face it we are the worst people ever, we have always been so and always will be. Can you handle that? I look forward to your visit to Kenan this year NCSU.
I see many references to Blake “lying on his resume”. If someone omits a previous employment experience from a “resume”, that does not constitute lying on the resume. The resume is the candidate’s tool used to market his qualifications for a job. The candidate puts on there what he wants to. There is no legal requirement to put all previous job experience on the resume. But, the information on the resume should be truthful. Now, a job application that requests previous experience within a certain period of time is a different matter. It depends on what is requested on the application.
So, if Blake submitted a resume that did not show his previous employment with the agency, I don’t believe that is the same thing as lying on the resume. If I were a candidate for a coaching position, and had spent a couple of idle years working in some other capacity, I believe the resume that I prepared for coaching positions may very well only list my prior coaching experience, but not the other.
Leroy, Doc has mentioned this at least twice in posts on TSB as well, to give you more perspective on where I am coming from.
^I think you have a very valid point, but as a hiring manager myself if I saw a resume that shows lapses in employment it would throw up a ton of red flags. I would want to know what they were doing when they were not “working”. Is the ommision of the job lying? Technically speaking it is not, I guess. But in conjunction with Wichard lying about Blake’s employment it just seems bad that he would leave it off. That being said, the work he did with Wichard would be 100% relevant to him being a coach. If the work he did with Wichard was to help workout players and prepare them for football, no? Kinda like coaching but at a different level? Would you agree or not?
Yes, I wrote about the scandal at State at TSB in one post in which I was accused of dancing on Jimmy V’s grave, and in another in which I listed all major NCAA violations to date by all three Triangle schools (including UNC) and ECU. Mike and I have been round and round about this already.
I mention it again simply because (and Mike alludes to this) it is the lens through which ABCers, and particularly NCSU fans, look at the situation in Chapel Hill. As such, I point out the inconsistent position that Butch Davis HAD to have had full knowledge of every transgression carried out in the football program (and is therefore a dirty, cheating slimeball) and yet Jimmy V, as both coach and AD, was absolved by the NCAA of ANY knowledge of violations at State (and is therefore as pure as the driven snow – he even has a letter to prove it!). What I did not write was that, in spite of this clearance, Valvano still lost his job. Wonder what that means for Davis?
Mike says I keep bringing this up as if it justifies or changes what happened at UNC. It does neither. I say again, as I have said repeatedly on this blog and to anyone who asks: those who violated university or NCAA rules must be held accountable.
I fully agree with Mike, as I wrote, that there is a story that is not being pursued about why Wichard and Blake are hiding their time together.
In the meantime, I doubt any anyone is going to be swayed by the context of whether or not I mention what happened at State 20 years ago. Rational fans of both schools will look at both cases with an objective eye while rabid ABCers will continue to treat this as their Valhalla and Christmas rolled up into one and IC board monkeys will continue to stick their heads in the sand or up their rear ends.
^^Mike, there is not a gap in Blake’s resume, per se.
The N&O said the resume shows that in between Oklahoma and Mississippi State, he listed Director of football operations for A Chance to Advance Football Camp, consultant for recruiting analyst Tom Lemming, and managing partner of a residential development in North Tulsa. Of course it appears “A Chance to Advance” is connected to Wichard’s agency since all of Blake’s campers were Wichard clients.
Still, I wonder why they are misrepresenting that time together. Even Blake’s attorney says there was no “business relationship”.
maybe for the same reason i dont include on my resume’ the summer i worked at Hooters.
seriously tho, maybe it just feels dirty to work around an agent, and he didnt want to draw attention to it.
or it could be something meaningful. who knows.
I agree with Doc’s point about Greg: “Greg Little retained an attorney because A.J. Greene got twice as much punishment for just over half the benefit as Dareus.”
It is also important to realize that the NCAA will protect its own interests, the school will protect its own interests, but who will protect the player’s interests? It is not an admission of guilt to hire a lawyer. It is common sense to proactively seek assistance when your future is dependent upon being able to showcase your talent over more opportunities (games):
“What if Greg simply borrowed a few thousand dollars from a friend that he has known for ten years? Unlike most college students, he does not come from a wealthy middle-class family. Perhaps, he just wanted some extra spending money to go out to dinner, over the course of his senior season. Are we to assume that this long time friend is a runner? What if the NCAA says that the friend is a runner? But Greg says that it is just a long time friend, whom recently became wealthy. Greg submits bank records. The friend submits bank records. The records show that no agent was directly involved, but the NCAA still thinks that an agent is involved. After all, the agent could have done everything in cash. At what point, do you decide (if you are greg) that you need a lawyer to represent you? You have cooperated, but the NCAA is still declaring you ineligible. The NCAA has in effect, declared you ‘guilty until proven innocent.’ How is that fair? From the NCAA’s perspective, you’ve seen emails between Greg and agents, discussing rates, fees, loans, etc. You were able to obtain these from the university. They seem to indicate a relationship between Greg, the friend, and the agent. You just can’t quite connect the dots with a paper trail, though. What are you going to do?” –old friend
If you think that Butch Davis should know what all of his players and coaches are doing at all times, then tell me what 100 of your friends have done every hour for the last year? Or even the last month?
TheSportsIdiot, who works as a hiring manager (which makes you an professional at interpreting resumes),
If I put everything on my resume that I have done for the last 20 years, the resume will be 20 pages long. One of the many important tasks, while writing a strong resume, is to prioritize the content of the resume. Where does former football camp director rank, when compared to NFL experience, college coaching experience, high school recruiting experience, position specific experience, etc… It may also be important to rank these in order of most recent experience, since college football has evolved over the last 20 years.
Also understand that, speaking for myself, I am not saying we know for sure what Davis knew or did not know. That has yet to be revealed though he has stated that he was unaware of the calls, what the tutor was doing and players taking trips to Miami. However if the NCAA can say a coach & AD is unaware of multiple violations on his watch then, sans evidence to the contrary, we can reasonably argue that Davis did not know. It is all speculative at this point were Davis is concerned. We have what he has said and we have zero evidence otherwise. Until either of those change it is not far fetched based on how Valvano was judged to apply the same standard to Davis.
Sorry to start a chain of posts, I try to stay out of commenting on other posts unless I have something constructive to state. In this case I went over my standard for posting and for that I’m sorry. I’m looking forward to seeing individuals argue over whether Ellington’s shot will ever return and if Lawson is being lazy on defense. Those are generally the posts that go back and forth, well until william puts something out there that is a reaction rather than his usual logical approach to a question. There, I even pulled in someone that hasn’t posted on this thread, I’m repeat rule breaker and offender as measured by my own standards. Sorry to have started the chain.
I agree with THF, we will know as it will be public record. I don’t think that Thorp is going to allow anything to be hidden or covered up in this process regardless of what you think of Baddour or Davis. He’s not happy and he has a real legacy to be concerned with, not how did the athletics teams look during his watch. If we lose Davis as a sacrificial lamb to this event and there’s no real evidence to substantiate his participation or knowledge then I’ll be bitter.
Based on the recent comments and statements by UNC personnel to the media it seems as though they have a good handle on what happened and when. Since they are pursuing closure with the NCAA they seem to be more open about the issues and that leads me to believe that we are close to this being over. If you put yourself in their positions, always helpful in my mind, how do you comment on something when you don’t have all the facts? You have to leave it open, regardless how painful that is or may look, you don’t know so how can you comment on it. The fact that Davis mentioned a discussion with Marvin Austin on Monday that lasted an hour is also a good sign. Regardless what is happening, I would think if he’s done something truly damaging to the program and the team then this comment wouldn’t have been made. He’d be typhoid Mary. Not defending him, just sharing my thoughts.
One thing we know for sure is that State Fans still don’t have a damn thing to root FOR, and all they have is UNC to root AGAINST. Well, that and an occasional bass fishing title. So, I’ll still take UNC’s Athletic Department over State’s any day of the week. Ask any neutral party which of the two athletic departments they’d rather have and they’ll tell you the same thing. Hell, ask an HONEST State fan, and even he would probably tell you the same thing. And thats even after all this mess with the football program….
On a much lighter note-
I support Random thoughts for this post.
I don’t support advocating devil’s, especially the dark blue kind.
Good posts by Doc and others. There are still way too many facts unknown and therefore there is rampant speculation that only tends to confuse and confound. Until the NCAA and UNC make final determinations this is ALL that we have! I only hope for a best-case resolution but am prepared for all to be laid on the table so that we can move on and complete a football season. As our beloved politicians love to say, “mistakes were made”. Agreed. Let the guilty suffer and the innocent continue. None of the people involved are more important or of greater value than the integrity of our University of North Carolina. Go Heels!!
TarheelFormerSwimmer:
Gaps in a resume would cause me to question what the applicant was doing during said gap. If there is no gap, or it can easily be explained away, that is one thing. If there is a gap in employment and the applicant is unwilling to explain said gap, then there is an issue.
Doc pointed out that there was no gap, per se, just an exclusion of details. To your point, yes, you should typically only put employment history that pertains to the job and field you are applying. That does not always apply, however, when there are areas of a former position that could jeopardize eligibility issues of a current or former one. If there is something that could cause a problem, you should disclose it. Keep in mind that I am typing this with college coaching in mind, in which case former employment by an agent is absolutely something you should include, even if it was just driving clients to and from the airport. I’m sure that you can see the difference and relevance, no?
Raj, State Fan has a lot to be proud of and root for. Sure, a lot, if not most, State Fans also root hard against UNC-CH but when it comes down to it we live and die Red. And CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown all disagree with you as well…
TarheelCuz, what about the Rays? Are you pro Devil Ray or do you like them better now sans Devil?
“And CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown all disagree with you as well…”
I thought only UNC fans talked about basketball during football season. Shouldn’t State Fan be crowing about a trip to Charlotte on the horizon, especially since you guys defeated the Catamounts last weekend.
^Good one, scl. Of course, you know I was merely responding to Raj, but it is all good.
Disclaimer: Almost everyone on this thread is more sophisticated about the subject than I. So with all the modesty due from someone in so relatively uninformed a position, I guess I have just one short reaction:
Numerous and contnuous contacts between an agent and a coach involved in supposedly amateur sports is more than a little troubling.
There is a point at which sophistcaiton morphs into excuse-making, and excuse-making into tolerance. There is much to be said for tolerance as a general matter, but not much to be said for tolerance of sleaze, or of walking close to the line. At best, that’s what we have here.
At some point we have to answer the question whether we want our team to be the Panthers taxi squad, or not. If we prefer to remain part of amateur sports, all this playing footsie with agents has to stop.
SI
Go Yankees should give you an indication…
While I have never partaken of IC, mainly because I am pretty sure they would ban me the minute I dare challenge the Carolina Way or question anything that is said there I do find this blog to offer a very fair and balanced, fan approach to the current problems facing UNC. I profess to be an ABC’er but as a result it seems to stem from those who never attended UNC, or have any affiliation to the university. I’m not blind enough to think that their aren’t those types of fans for other local schools, but most of the ones I’ve met tend to have a light blue persuasion. Many of my friends went to UNC and to us, it is just a friendly rivalry. Sports not being the center of our lives but entertainment designed for just that purpose.
I decided to register and post the following question as I have not heard the numbers presented like they were in this article regarding the 1989-1990 problems at NC State. To quote:
“the NCAA found 650 violations of NCAA policy regarding the use/resale of complimentary basketball tickets and potentially hundreds more violations regarding the issuance/resale/trade of university-issued basketball shoes.”
I’ve never heard these numbers before and wondered how that many violations of NCAA policy could have occurred and where this is documented? I’ve always understood what happened to be limited to a few players who during their time in Raleigh had no plans to graduate and sold their free shoes that were issued a few pairs at a time during the course of a school year.
I hope that here of all places some one can explain the substance behind these numbers you stated so that I may better comprehend the depth of depravity that might have occurred prior to valvano’s sanctification during his battle with cancer.
Please understand something else, I watched the 83′ championship at the ripe age of 7 and had other concerns in the early 90s’ which results in much of my ignorance. However since high school there has been only one school for me (NCSU class of 99′) and while I respect the academic side of UNC, it is the sense of entitlement and superiority that I find offensive among the fan base. I always found State fans to be genuine fans as, why else would support a program with so much lack of success! We watched games because that was our team and that was it. The air of entitlement and smug self-righteousness among our neighbors wearing blue (both shades) only en grained this more and entrenched our loyalty to the red and white.
I feel bad for UNC in some ways as no matter what your opinion may be, this is a big deal and is negative publicity for a university that professed to be pure as freshly driven snow. I hope that you don’t face in the future the News and Observer publishing the SAT scores of your recruits, or constant criticism in the local media because of a few bad apples in positions of power.
In my humble opinion, the only way to rid the university of this stain that is cheating and pay for play is to have full disclosure and possibly an independent investigation. There are far too many people now with ties to the university involved with the various prongs of misconduct at all levels up to the UNC Board of Governors. Not saying the corruption extends that far up, just that how can a graduate and self proclaimed fan of the university be expected to conduct a fair, balanced, and through investigation of what has already been proven misconduct. Baddour himself has said as much. And while valvano may have 650 NCAA violations to his credit, we also have the privilege of viewing his conduct through the lens of history. None of us know now how far or how shallow the current issues go at UNC, and never will without transparency.
I thank the UNC fans on this board in advance, as I am honestly asking the above questions without any desire to instigate anger or malcontent. Just playing the advocate Doc named as well as searching for answers to a question or two!
Coppertop,
We welcome all here, even the ABCers.
You’re right, this is a huge situation for UNC and we do not know the depths of how far it goes yet. That’s why we have preached caution in drawing any conclusions until all the facts are in, while others breathlessly hype any little thing because they are trying to sell papers or drive traffic.
The information regarding the numbers of violations at NCSU come from the NCAA infractions report. It is in PDF form and not linkable, but you can search the database and find the report. Here are the relevant quotes, however:
Firstly, the violations in this case are not “isolated or inadvertent.” Those relating to complimentary admissions occurred from 1985-86 to 1987-88…The university reported that during this period, there were as many as 650 erroneous designations for use of admissions, and a few improper designations continued to occur even into the 1988-89 season when the institution was reviewing its administrative practices in this area. Moreover, the university had reason to know that it needed to take preventive action to avoid problems in this area. During the 1985-86 season…the university detected, took disciplinary action, and reported to the NCAA violations relating to complimentary admissions in the men’s basketball program.
State had self-reported ticket violations 3 or 4 years before but it was still going on, even while it was being investigated.
During the 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1987-88 academic years, athletics department staff members did not exercise appropriate institutional control in monitoring the men’s basketball complimentary admission lists; further, several members of the men’s basketball team identified individuals as recipients of complimentary admissions for regular-season and Atlantic Coast Conference postseason men’s basketball contests in exchange for cash or other items (a total value in excess of $1,000). Specifically:
a. During the 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1988-89 academic years, certain student-athletes received cash (as much as $150 per admission), stereo equipment and other items of value in exchange for these admissions.
As for the shoes:
Secondly, violations relating to the issuance of basketball shoes also continued over an extended period of time, 1984-85 to 1987-88. Because of the laxness of the university’s procedures in this area… some members of the men’s basketball
team were able to obtain material benefits in exchange for basketball shoes they had received from the athletics department. Although some improvement in control procedures occurred during the latter part of this time period, the procedures throughout this period were inadequate to prevent some men’s basketball team members from obtaining shoes without being accountable to return them to the institution. During the beginning of this period, an excessive number of
shoes were issued with little or no effort to keep track of the shoes.
There was no way to determine how many shoes violations there might have been because NCSU kept no records.
During the 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87 and 1987-88 academic years, the institution’s athletics department and members of the men’s basketball staff did not exercise appropriate institutional control concerning the use of basketball shoes by student-athletes in the sport of men’s basketball. Specifically, excessive numbers of shoes were made available to members of the men’s basketball team during this period, particularly in the 1984-85 and 1985-86 academic years; further, numerous student-athletes sold the basketball shoes that were issued to them to student-athletes in other sports at the university, as well as to other university students; further, several student-athletes exchanged the university’s basketball shoes (an approximate value of $75) for both athletics shoes and apparel of equal value at a local sporting goods store…
Hope this helps provide context.
coopertop –
Thank you for a basicaally fair-minded, if not sympathetic, contribution.
What seems like a sense of entitlement to others seems like justified pride to Carolina fans, given the many years of a clean and highly successful basketball program. The pride in turn gives rise to an expectation of continued success, and that can be seen from the outside as a sense of entitlement.
As for the current football mess: We are not primarily a football school, obviously. We had success under the now long-departed Mack Brown, but that has been about it in recent years. It looked like this year had the chance to be a breakout, what with a dynamite defense. The defense now stands a chance of being decimated, and our so-so football record — always more a source of irritation than anything else — could become a source of scandal to boot.
This is not disappointment borne of the deflating of a sense of entitlement. It’s just flat-out disappointment.