(I wrote this piece hours before the YAHOO interview with Roy Williams. Comments coming)
Haters are welcome...
But realize this: Thoughts can be deceiving, especially on Twitter.
People will browse one's profile and instantaneously think they know one's story. Perhaps when someone reads "Go Duke" on mine, they assume it's die hard, Cameron Crazy, hate everything about Carolina, worship at the Temple of Krzyzewski, and think Grant Hill should run for mayor of Durham. In some ways, I am.
Let's talk about my personal thoughts on the Tarheels. I only dislike UNC on the hardwood, field, wherever our teams battle in sports. One of my closest friends is a huge Carolina fan. I know former athletes who competed for UNC and know many others who have graduated from there. I worked at UNC and lived in Chapel Hill for almost 16 years. It's a competitive sports relationship and has nothing with the schools individually.
A Tarheel fan is loyal, through thick & thin. No matter what problem arises, they are willing to go down with the band and the ship. You can never be surprised what might get said. Always competitive, it makes this rivalry bigger than any other. But then, a few more miles down the highway sits North Carolina State and the 'Pack are competitive, too Throw in Wake Forest and this area is an athletic war zone, all year long. That's what I love; The love/hate that energizes this state. We yell at one another. We often curse and bash each other. We mourned together through Eve Carson, Adhijit Mahato, and Dean Smith.
Some may ask, "Why the blog?"
Writing is therapeutic. I have read all seven inquiries, both NOAs, and SACS findings. Dan Kane, who I respect, doesn't write my holy grail. Neither do Outside the Lines or The Sports Reporters. Nor Jay Smith or Mary Willingham, though Cheated painted a mental picture of corruption that was bigger than I could have imagined. I analyze without bias. The way I perceive something may not be how the next person sees it.
So why?
"Roy is a saint", they say. "He couldn't have known." All evidence says Roy was not aware of the blatant fraud in which surrounded him, his program, and his school as a whole. Wayne Walden knew. The Wainstein Report, NCAA's Notice of Allegations, and emails between Walden and Debby Crowder proved that is true. Eveyone knows this happens. It happens on every campus. My 75 year old dad knows this. My baby mama knows and she thinks UVA plays the Dallas Cowboys once a year. Hollywood has made movies about academic misconduct of athletes for a quarter of a century. So if you don't know, it's because you don't want to know. Plausible Deniability comes to mind. Everyone knew, except Roy.
So why write about Roy?
Beause Williams should have known. It's his job to know. That's why he makes the big bucks. Walden was his boy at Kansas. Roy thought so much of him, he brought Walden to Chapel Hill when McSwain fell ill. AFAM classes drastically increased upon their arrival. 10 AFAM majors on 2005 Championship Team. Granted, this system was implemented before he arrived, but Williams admitted to seeing clustering. If anyone, anywhere could have done something, Roy Williams was one of them. We, as the public, have been lied to by the institute and feel gullible listening to Roy Williams deny all allegations that he knew nothing. Roy is free and clear, but men's basketball is still wrapped in a tangled web.
I know I bash UNC (the institute) from time to time, but that's also therapeutic. I guess I'm disappointed in them. Reckless practices could cost them dearly; That hurts the entire Tobacco Road, not just the stretch through Chapel Hill. UNC made a science out of cheating and exposed it themselves through Ken Wainstein. I also bash some of Tarheel Nation who insult, threaten, and wish evil upon me. But it's all in the spirit of the game, right? I take nothing personal.
Schools and people will continue to get caught. Only when we demand change in the definition and protocols of the student-athletes will we see said change. The students -athletes should be compensated as employees, and given a legitimate field of study to guide them in their athletic dreams.
The NCAA better step to plate and swing for the bleachers. If they don't do that, the NCAA should disband and dismantle because they would confirm that they are a useless organization with no control over those in which they govern.
So, if you ask me who my favorite all-time UNC athlete is and I respond, "Rashad McCants", I am doing two things. Number one would be lying. Jordan is the GOAT or Vince Carter would be my real answer. And number two: I am trying to get under your skin because the response was priceless. It's a rivalry thing. Nothing personal. Haters welcomed.
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