It's been hammered to death and written about countless times by now. As we all well know, there is an in-depth investigation by the NCAA into a massive scandal at North Carolina that could have lasted as many as 18 years, and reportedly involved fake classes designed so athletes could coast through the academic requirements.
On Wednesday, the Charlotte News and Observer published a piece focused on former UNC star Rashad McCants — a rare former player who has spoken out against the North Carolina athletic department.
As the News and Observer piece notes, McCants came out in 2014 and alleged the university kept him eligible through fake classes and minimal attendance and claimed Williams was fully complicit with the scheme. The UNC coach denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.
McCants isn't quieting down any time soon and his remarks are strong to say the least.
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"The things he's done and said and denied, I just cant respect," McCants told the News and Observer. "As a coach, he's a great coach and deserving of the Hall of Fame and everything that's coming to him. But as a man, I don't have anything to say."
This thing gets much deeper.
Since the public allegations in 2014, McCants, an Asheville native, said he hasn't been back to his home state and has no connection with the university. He had very average production with the Minnesota Timberwolves (10 points per game) after getting selected No. 14 overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, but feels like his sour relationship with Williams and the UNC athletics staff contributed to his rapid fall out of the pro ranks.
"I've been told, numerous conversations and numerous sources, that I've been blackballed," McCants said in the News and Observer piece. "And it's just the way the league is sometimes. When one person who is a higher-up, Hall of Famer says don't touch him, they won't. And that's just how it is."
This whole thing is pretty sad, but am I missing something when it comes to McCants hinting that Williams somehow butchered his NBA chances? The former UNC player only spoke out against Williams and the university in 2014, but hasn't been on a pro roster since the 2008-09 season, so I'm just a little bit skeptical.
McCants also blamed his former relationship with Khloe Kardashian as to why he's no longer playing in the NBA, so I'm not sure how much merit I can give to any of his claims about no longer getting chances.
As far as the allegations against Williams? If true, it's certainly a major blow to the reputation of one of the more respected coaches in college basketball. I hope this whole scandal comes to a conclusion sooner rather than later so we can all stop speculating.