The University of North Carolina released its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA on Thursday, which described five Level I charges that include lack of institutional control.
The NCAA defines Level I charges as a "severe breach of conduct." In this case, the NCAA says the impermissible extra benefits provided to student-athletes over a nine-year time span (2002-2011) "seriously undermined or threatened the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model."
You can find a full downloadable PDF of the Notice of Allegations by clicking here. For those who prefer a quick summary of the five charges:
1. The NCAA charged UNC with providing impermissible benefits via academic counselors in the AFAM department and 10 athletes exceeding independent study course limits.
2. Jan Boxill, academic advisor to the women's basketball team, is alleged to have provided impermissible academic assistance to women's basketball players.
3. Deb Crowder, the administrative assistant to AFAM department head Julius Nyang'oro, violated ethical conduct by not assisting NCAA investigation.
4. AFAM department chair Julius Nyang'oro violated ethical conduct by not assisting with the NCAA investigation.
5. The NCAA charged UNC with a lack of institutional control for all of the above charges.
North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Thursday that the school has already begun to "construct" its response, which it had 90 days to complete. That response will be sent to the Committee on Infractions, and Cunningham guessed that some of the charges will be contested while others will not.
"I do think that, at the first read, there are some allegations that we will probably agree with and others that we will not," Cunningham said. "It will probably take the full 90 days to write our full response, and tell the entire story that surrounds these issues."
Cunningham said while there was not a "bombshell" in the report, he was surprised at the volume of the exhibits, adding that there was "more of them than I anticipated."
Notably absent from the allegations is the name of any football or men's basketball personnel. Roy Williams, John Bunting, Butch Davis and interim football coach Everett Withers were all interviewed in the enforcement committee's investigation, but none were named in the allegations.
"Everyone who loves Carolina is truly saddened by these allegations," Roy Williams said in a statement on Thursday. "We aspire to and work toward meeting higher standards than the actions that warranted this notice. Our university and numerous outside groups have looked at every aspect of our academic and athletic life. As a result, Carolina has implemented scores of new processes and checks and balances that have undoubtedly made us a better university. Hopefully, we will never again receive such a notice."
After the response comes a meeting with the Committee on Infractions and then 60 days before the NCAA issues a final ruling. Currently, it looks like this case will not reach a resolution until early 2016.
“We take the allegations the NCAA made about past conduct very seriously," UNC chancellor Carol L. Folt said. "This is the next step in a defined process, and we are a long way from reaching a conclusion. We will respond to the notice using facts and evidence to present a full picture of our case. Although we may identify some instances in the NCAA’s notice where we agree and others where we do not, we are committed to continue pursuing a fair and just outcome for Carolina."
Keep it here at CBSSports.com for more on the allegations against UNC.
