Not new, just coming from the horse's mouth. Or the horse's lawyer's mouth. Note I am speaking figuratively here. As far as I know, Ms. Wiley is not a horse.
UNC had been pretty adamant about the fact Butch Davis did not know what Jennifer Wiley had been up to both before and during her stint as an academic coach for Davis' son. For whatever reason, Wiley felt the need to go on the record (via her lawyer, Joe Cheshire) in defense of Davis.
"Coach Davis and his family played no part whatsoever in the matters under investigation that have been referred to as 'impermissible extra benefits' and 'impermissible academic assistance' as related to Ms. Wiley," Cheshire said.
Cheshire made clear in the statement that Wiley, who is a UNC graduate, does not want to harm Davis, who is wrapping up his fourth year as coach of the Tar Heels.
Cheshire said Wiley does not want to "engage in conversations about this matter with people whose aim is to continue to attempt to hurt the young men she cared about, the University of North Carolina and its athletic program, and especially Coach Davis and his family."
That last part would have been far more entertaining had Ms. Wiley called a press conference, read this statement then flashed the middle finger at the assembled media. Essentially she's saying, "I am not talking about this because whatever I say is going to get sliced and diced into an attack piece meant to hurt the players and Butch Davis. Thanks but no thanks." I imagine her lawyer has also told her not to breathe a word about this on the record seeing there is a Secretary of State investigation into agent provided benefits. Having Ms. Wiley somehow labeled a runner and prosecuted is not in her best interest. That is if Elaine Marshall actually intends to see her probe to its logical conclusion since there is no longer any electoral gain from it having lost her bid for the U.S. Senate.
The biggest problem with Wiley's involvement has been the tabloid-esque perception created by the fact she was employed by Butch Davis. Very early in the process that was sensationalized by the media who referred to her as a "nanny" sparking ridicule and rampant speculation alike. Had she just been a former tutor caught helping football players shoulders would have shrugged and the story would have been about the cheating. A former tutor also in the employ of the head coach added an extra, juicy dimension to it. UNC critics and rival fans wasted no time implying there was something unscrupulous going on. Again, everyone involved is saying that is not the case and yes, the fact these statements are all self-serving is duly noted. That being said, Wiley obviously feels some level of remorse for her actions thus her willingness to offer this statement and refer to the involved parties in positive terms. No axe to grind here, unlike one of Wiley's former supervisors.
Just another part of the story to file away in the repository just in case someone asks about it later.