A prominent advocate for University of North Carolina football players said Monday that student-athletes are being "used" for the greater benefit of the school.
Robert Orr, former N.C. Supreme Court justice and executive director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, said the academic support system failed former Tar Heels defensive lineman Michael McAdoo, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA because of academic fraud.
"You let these kids in and put them to work 30 hours a week in an intensely physical job [as athletes], and then if they make a misstep we kick them under the bus," Orr said Monday. "That's what irritates me."
Last year, Orr successfully lobbied the NCAA for reinstatement of one of McAdoo's teammates, fullback Devon Ramsay. In an op-ed column appearing in this morning's edition of The News & Observer, Orr wrote that in McAdoo's case, he ordinarily would not have been admitted to UNC except for his football skills.
Orr has not had direct access to transcripts but said the academic community and support system let McAdoo down.
McAdoo could not be reached for comment.
In a Dec. 14 hearing with NCAA officials, though, McAdoo said he has needed help having information explained to him as a student.
"We have to trust employees and staff on (sic) this university to keep up with a lot of the information and guide us through our experiences," McAdoo said, according to a transcript of his NCAA hearing submitted in court filings last month. "This is why I came here to UNC. I trusted I would have great, caring people who were smart and would help guide me through this university."
McAdoo is suing UNC and the NCAA, alleging negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. Last month, Durham County Superior Court judge Orlando Hudson denied McAdoo's request for a preliminary injunction restoring his eligibility to play football as the suit continues.
Noah H. Huffstetler III, McAdoo's lawyer, declined to comment on his academics. Huffstetler said UNC and the NCAA must respond to the lawsuit by Aug. 30, at which point discovery in the case will begin.
Barbara Polk, UNC's deputy director and senior associate director of undergraduate admissions, would not discuss McAdoo's case specifically but said UNC policy allows students with special talents to be admitted to the school.
"If a student's overall record in general is such that there is a special talent that's a bit unique, that can be one of the factors that we take into consideration," Polk said.
Polk said UNC does not admit students unless the admissions office is comfortable that they have a reasonable chance to succeed academically and graduate.
In a story published in November, The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer wrote that at UNC, about half the players in the football recruiting classes over the past six years have been admitted through a special committee process required for students who fall below academic requirements. Those recruits include athletes who scored below 900 on the SAT or were in the lower half of their high school class.
The newspapers reported that freshman football recruits at UNC have posted an average SAT score nearly 300 to 400 points below that of the overall freshman class for much of the past decade, according to numbers provided by university officials.
According to the most recent NCAA statistics, UNC's football players who entered with the 2003 freshman class posted a graduation success rate of 75 percent.
In June, the NCAA served UNC with a notice alleging nine major violations. UNC is scheduled to appear before the Committee of Infractions on Oct. 28.
"I do think (former coach) Butch Davis didn't admit Michael McAdoo or any of these other players," Orr said. "All he said is, 'Here's a kid I'd like to have play on the team.' It's the academic side that has to review the academic abilities and limitations of these kids."
Orr said the problems are not limited to UNC.
"This is what really angers me having gotten into this," Orr said. "This isn't just UNC's football program. This is a system run amok nationally."
