Why UNC trustees chairman said the handling of Mack Brown’s dismissal was ‘shameful’
Mack Brown had held his last press conference at North Carolina, said all his goodbyes, explained why it was time for him to get out of coaching.
After the Tar Heels had taken a 35-30 loss to N.C. State on Saturday, in Brown’s last game at Kenan Stadium, in his last game as UNC’s coach, he tried to explain and the how and the why of his leaving, of his firing.
The transfer portal, NIL packages, recruits asking for money, agents seeking out players … Brown, at 73, was more than ready to have the new man in charge of the program, whoever that might be, have a shot at it.
“I agree with the administration that we needed a change of leadership at the top, but I just wanted it to happen after the season was over,” Brown said.
Brown left with a smile, not taking questions from the media but thanking the media for being “respectful” before leaving the Kenan Football Center lobby, where many friends and associates in the back clapped and cheered.
Moments later, John Preyer had his say.
Preyer is the chairman of the UNC board of trustees and Preyer is not happy about Brown’s dismissal as coach, about the way it was handled by UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who called Brown on Monday night from Hawaii to say he was being fired.
“I have no doubt Coach Brown would have done whatever the university would have wanted him to do at the end of the season,” Preyer said. “And for some reason, that I do not understand, the athletic director would not allow that to happen and instead fired him from halfway around the world.
“And I think that is shameful.”
A university spokesperson said Saturday night that Cunningham said neither he nor chancellor Lee Roberts were told by Brown that he would agree to retire at the end of this season.
“There were three people who talked about this, and it was me and John Preyer, who is our chairman of the board of trustees, and athletics director Cunningham,” Brown said. “I never talked to the chancellor, never had a conversation with him.
“And all I wanted to do was wait to the end of the year, and they wanted me to retire on Monday before the State game. We hadn’t beaten State. It was real important for these kids to play well and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to break their hearts on Monday, so I said no, I won’t do that. And then they wanted me to do it on Friday and I sure wasn’t going to do it before the game. ...
“I’m just disappointed in the way it was done. We could have had a joint press conference and I could have stayed and we could have worked this out. But that didn’t happen.”
Brown, at his Monday press conference, was asked specifically if he planned on returning as coach for the 2025 season. His answer: “Yes.”
Preyer was asked if that might have forced the issue, forced Cunningham’s hand.
“I think there are a lot of reasons — for recruiting, and for the team, and the upcoming rival game — that you would not want to say anything other than that, recognizing you still had the season ahead of you before you make a decision,” he said.
“So I think he was trying to do what’s in the best interest of the team at that time. But I don’t think it was ever in doubt that he was going to do what was in the best interest of the university at the end of the season. If the university wanted him to resign, he would have resigned on his own.”
Later, on Monday night, Brown appeared on his last weekly radio show. There was no indication during it that anything had changed, although Cunningham already had informed Brown he had been fired.
“The last time you play in Kenan Stadium, as much energy and time and blood you’ve put in that stadium, it’s really emotional,” Brown said on the show.
Brown was referring to his players … or was it just about his players?
Preyer said when he received the news that Brown had been fired, “I was shocked, I was shocked.
“I was angry and I thought that is not how you treat a Hall of Fame coach that is the winningest coach at Carolina,” he said. “And you damn sure don’t do it from halfway around the world.”
While falling to 6-6 overall, the Tar Heels have qualified for a bowl and defensive end Kaimon Rucker, who suffered a fractured fibula in Saturday’s game, said the team wanted to play another game.
“Go out on a high,” Rucker said.
This story was originally published December 1, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
