Jalek Felton’s career at UNC is over. Here’s the social media reaction

Thursday afternoon, the lawyer for embattled North Carolina basketball player Jalek Felton said on social media that the freshman has withdrawn from the school.

Felton was suspended by the university in late January, saying it was gathering information into a misconduct case against the guard.

“It’s not a sanction, and he’s not being punished for something,” Kerry Sutton, a Durham-based attorney who is representing Felton, told the Raleigh News & Observer in January. “That’s just something the school does while they gather information, and that’s what we’re doing at this point, as well – we’re gathering information.”

Felton, the nephew of former UNC national champion Raymond Felton, was not allowed to attend classes or participate in any team-related activities during the suspension.

Social media had a strong reaction to the news that Felton was planning to move on. Felton averaged 9.7 minutes in 22 games for coach Roy Williams in Chapel Hill and averaged 2.1 points. He was a top 30 recruit nationally in the class of 2017.

In a statement to Chapelboro.com, Sutton said Felton’s basketball career was not done.

"There is nothing we’ve heard that justifies UNC’s actions against Jalek Felton,” Sutton said in her statement. “He had faith in UNC’s future when no other five star recruit did. UNC has turned its back on him. I spoke with Roy Williams today and he obviously feels the pain of Jalek’s crushed dream to play at UNC. Jalek will land on his feet, but our battle here is far from over."

Felton, who has not been arrested, is not facing criminal charges.

Sutton told the News & Observer that she didn’t feel Felton received fair treatment from the university.

"Essentially they kicked him out without giving him his rights," Sutton said during a brief interview on Thursday. "It’s disturbing."

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Jalek Felton’s career at UNC is over. Here’s the social media reaction."