A Little Honesty in College Sports, Please

Regarding the ongoing investigation of troubles in the North Carolina football program, Coach Butch Davis basically said Thursday that the Tar Heels need to do a better job monitoring the program.

Wow, that was it. I was hoping for a little more. I’m not just going after Davis specifically with his situation. It could be some other coach at some other school. Believe me, there have been many other examples.

I would love for a coach someday said to say something like this: “We messed up. We tried to fool people. We made a huge mistake. We let our fans and the university down. We are ashamed. Please forgive us.”

You might hear some of those above statements after the NCAA or the institution comes down on a program, but generally not before.

Come on folks, confession of guilt is good for the soul. There is something healing about confessing your wrong doings. America loves to give second chances after people confess. What America doesn’t like are dodgers.

One other thought. These coaches that claim they don’t know what’s going on with certain aspects of their program. What, huh? The coach is the boss. He should know the situation. If he doesn’t, he should have someone report to him that knows. Some one time incidents do happen like drunken driving, but I strongly question whether the coach doesn’t know when a player receives a bunch of money (re: drives a fancy car and exhibits fancy clothing) or is doing something else on a repeated basis.

Carolina Blues

You see Carolina blue all over this country. Sporting goods stores stock North Carolina items because they sell. Really sell. But there is a different kind of blue circling around Chapel Hill, North Carolina these days and it's not good. The blue of having a football program under NCAA investigation.

These are dark days at Carolina--a place known for solid athletic programs and high academic standards. If the allegations of a tutor writing papers for players are true, this could have a major fallout.

North Carolina suspended several players for tonight's game with LSU. This tells me these allegations are more than some minor infraction. North Carolina could be bracing itself for a hammer.

North Carolina wants some closure. Being in limbo land is not a pretty place. The sooner this investigation is over, the better for Carolina. Right now, a once promising upcoming season could end up in the toilet.

Coach Butch Davis might be having some sleepless nights too. His job could be on the line. As they say, the buck stops with him.