Despite an ongoing NCAA probe into possible impermissible contact involving agents, Carolina football continues to pick up big football commitments for the class of 2011. Cornerback Tim Scott of Stafford, VA, ranked the #84 CB nationally by Scout.com, is the latest to declare for the Tar Heels. (Note from Doc: I misread IC - I thought he was the #84 player nationally, but he was ranked #84 at his position. That's not the story anyway. Carry on.)
But the bigger news, as posted by Ken Medlin at WRAL, is that Scott says Butch Davis told him there would be no institutional penalties as a result of the NCAA's investigation.
UPDATE: ACC Now is reporting that Scott is now saying it was UNC WR coach Charlie Williams who made statements about the NCAA probe. It doesn't change the conclusions drawn from the story.
Medlin links an article from the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star's online edition that talks about Scott's recruitment. In the section on being recruited by UNC, the piece notes:
Scott said that on Monday, Tar Heels coach Butch Davis assured him this probe would not affect North Carolina's future bowl eligibility.
"He said the players just have to pay back what they received," Scott said. "They said it shouldn't affect future recruits."
So what does that mean, exactly? Are coaches speaking with authority or just offering an opinion? And is it an admission that the NCAA has found evidence of impermissible contact at UNC?
In actuality, it is probably a reflection of the reality and whether it was opinion or fact is irrelevant. Despite the desperate hopes of the ABC crowd that there is something deeper going on with the NCAA probe, all that has been really confirmed so far is an investigation of Marvin Austin and Greg Little and the party on May 15 in Miami. We all know they were there; the question is how they got there and who paid for it.
There are plenty of previous instances in which the NCAA has found impermissible benefits where the student-athlete in question repays the benefit and sits out a couple of games, just as John Wall did this year at Kentucky. There is no reason to believe that even if impermissible contact was found involving Little and Austin that the penalty would be any different.
In addition, the alleged infractions took place in the off-season so there would be no reason to sanction last year's team. And if it is only the party in question, involving only two players, and UNC cooperates fully, there is no reason to expect sanctions beyond the players involved.
Therefore, anyone who knows anything about how the NCAA works would probably say the same thing that Scott says Williams told him. This does not appear to be any great revelation. Besides, the quote is only three sentences out of a 2000-word piece. It could be possible that Williams began the sentence to Scott by saying, "If they are found guilty, then they would just have to pay back what they received." Like so many things in this investigation, we don't have the complete context.
At the end of the day, UNC still lands another great recruit, the media is still frustrated because Davis won't talk to them and the ABCers still don't get their Christmas in July.