More trouble for North Carolina.
The Raleigh News and Observer reports that a top North Carolina fundraiser has resigned admit allegations, some of which include that the mother of former Tar Heels star Tyler Hansbrough took trips that were paid for by the university.
An excerpt:
(Chancellor Holden) Thorp said Tami Hansbrough, a major gifts officer who earns $95,000 annually, has been placed on administrative leave as that investigation continues. Kupec declined to be interviewed Monday night but released a statement confirming the resignation. He did not provide details but thanked the university for his time there. Hansbrough could not be reached.
The personnel changes give another twist to Hansbrough’s unusual work history at UNC-Chapel Hill. She was originally hired on Dec. 8, 2008, as a fundraiser for the foundation that serves UNC-CH’s dental school.
At the time, her son Tyler, a senior, was beginning his final season on the basketball team, a season that would bring the university a national championship. Tyler Hansbrough was named an All-America and now plays in the NBA.
This comes on the heels (no pun intended) of North Carolina’s academic scandal over courses at the school used to keep student-athletes eligible, and the news over the weekend that former Duke starter Lance Thomas is being sued for non-payment on $97,000 in jewelry purchased during the Blue Devils’ run to the national title in 2010.
The Research Triangle has become the Scandal Triangle.
And today you’ve got John Infante from the NCAA telling the Raleigh newspaper that unless someone talks in the Duke / Lance Thomas affair, “there’s not much the NCAA can do if they don’t get information.” (direct quote.)
Hilarious isn’t it? So much for that “investigative arm” of the NCAA eh?
And they wonder why they are just about universally despised.
Mark Liptak