Shoe-selling scandal: UNC offers no public records that it disciplined football coaches

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham told The News & Observer earlier this month the school had disciplined its football coaches in the wake of allegations that players on the team had sold team-issued sneakers in violation of NCAA rules.

However, UNC officials said there were no public records that showed disciplinary actions were taken.

In response to an N&O public records request for any suspensions, demotions, dismissals or pay cuts among all UNC football coaching staff in the past year, UNC officials said there “are no responsive university records subject to disclosure under the North Carolina Public Records Act.”

According to emails obtained by The News & Observer through an earlier public records request, Cunningham knew of the sale of the Retro Air Jordan 3’s on Jan. 12, and UNC self-reported the allegations to the NCAA on Feb. 21.

On Aug. 6, the school announced that 13 of the 15 players involved were suspended. Nine players will miss as many as four games, or a third of the season. Two players will miss two games, and one player will miss one game.

The following day, on Aug. 7, in an interview with The News & Observer, UNC officials said coaches had been disciplined as a result of the incident. Cunningham, however, declined to give details.

“We don’t talk about personnel issues, but that is part of it certainly,” Cunningham told The News & Observer at the time.

On Aug. 8, The News & Observer submitted the public records request to UNC. Read it here.

Some relatively minor disciplinary measures for public employees, such as letters of reprimand, aren’t public record. Universities can make that information public under what’s known as the “integrity exemption” in the state personnel law. It allows officials to explain personnel actions so the public can have confidence in how their institutions operate. However, when asked for a comment after the university’s response to the public records request, Cunningham again declined.

In recent years, UNC has grappled with numerous scandals involving athletes, from agents passing money to football players to classes that rarely met and were heavily populated with athletes.

In January, Cunningham received an email from a UNC fan who said players had sold school-issued exclusive Air Jordan 3’s to a local vendor, a violation of NCAA rules. The university investigated and found that 15 football players had sold the shoes to local vendors or their teammates, some for as much as $2,500.

UNC self-reported the violation to the NCAA in February, and announced earlier this month that 13 of the players involved would be suspended.

Each year, players are gifted shoes, shirts, shorts and other gear through the school’s apparel contracts. The players own the apparel but are restricted from selling it based on NCAA rules. According to NCAA bylaw “16.11.2.4 Items Received for Participation in Intercollegiate Athletics,” “an item received for participation in intercollegiate athletics may not be sold or exchanged or assigned for another item of value.”

Prior to each season, UNC’s compliance staff holds a meeting to tell players about the NCAA rules they must follow and things they cannot do. One slide of that digital presentation obtained by The News & Observer in a records request is titled “gear, awards & autographs.” It warns players that they cannot “sell or exchange any rewards you receive as a result of your participation in athletics.”

Athletes are also required to fill out a department of athletics equipment policy form, showing rules and procedures regarding athletic equipment. On the form, the athletes must acknowledge that selling gear is a violation of state, university and NCAA legislation. They also must acknowledge they will be disciplined if they sell or exchange gear.

That message is repeated throughout the season, Cunningham said during a press conference on Aug. 6, adding that “it’s the head coach’s responsibility — he reinforces the message from our compliance staff on a regular basis.”

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Shoe-selling scandal: UNC offers no public records that it disciplined football coaches."