Baddour sees light at the end of the tunnel

University Of North Carolina Athletic Director Dick Baddour addressed a capacity crowd and several media representatives at the Raleigh Sports Club (RSC) today. In his comments, Baddour stated he could “see the light at the end of the tunnel” and did not anticipate the NCAA investigation into the Tar Heel football program dragging out another “three to six months.”

Baddour stated that he never imagined it would drag out this long but it is the NCAA, which is in charge of the investigation and ultimately, determines the timeline and results of the investigation. The NCAA investigation includes looking into academic fraud and athlete-agent relationships.

Baddour indicated that the university had fallen short on academic compliance as it relates to the athletic department. He noted that the success of how the university handles the investigation will not be completely “understood for quite sometime.”

Baddour praised Chancellor Holden Thorp and head football Coach Butch Davis on how they have handled the NCAA investigation.

The two most common questions Baddour stated he gets are why the “secrecy” surrounding the investigations and why it is taking so long. He noted that the NCAA in the beginning has requested that university officials working with the NCAA be careful in what they share with those that do not need to know. He also referred to student privacy as a reason for being careful in what is released by the university.

“We are committed to do this the right way, to restore integrity,” Baddour said.

The Raleigh Sports Club can be found on the web at www.raleighsportsclub.org. Meetings are held at Highland United Methodist Church. The church is located on the corner of Ridge Rd. and Lake Boone Trail at 1901 Ridge Rd. Meetings are held on most Wednesdays from Noon until 1 p.m.; however, the southern buffet line opens at 11:30 a.m.

Duke head football coach David Cutcliffe is the next speaker at the Raleigh Sports Club on Wednesday, Oct. 6, followed by N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe on Oct. 13.
- by Greg Pierce, correspondent