North Carolina Basketball: Roy Williams Nearing Contract Extension In Midst of NCAA Allegations Notice
ByRoy Williams appears to be on the verge of signing a contract extension to remain the head men's basketball coach the University of North Carolina (UNC).
Citing unnamed sources, Inside Carolina learned the UNC Board of Trustees is currently on track to approve the deal, which should prompt the school to disclose the news. It is not clear how many years the extension would add to Williams' contract, but common practice would suggest it would keep him in Chapel Hill another four years at least.
The news comes shortly after UNC released the full 59-page notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding their long-running "paper class" scandal. UNC has maintained Williams was not involved and extending his contract now indicates the school wants him leading the team through the turmoil.
Further, as ESPN's Jeff Goodman noted, the NCAA mentioned Williams only once among the five major Level I violations. Williams told NCAA investigators in 2014 he noticed several of his players were majoring in African and African-American Studies (AFAM).
UNC had a number of no-show classes in the AFAM department and academic advisors were apparently directing student-athletes to take these courses to stay eligible for their respective sports. The NCAA's report spared most of UNC's athletic department, Williams in particular.
"Everyone who loves Carolina is truly saddened by these allegations," Williams said Thursday in a university-issued statement obtained by ESPN. "We aspire to and work toward meeting higher standards than the actions that warranted this notice. Our university and numerous outside groups have looked at every aspect of our academic and athletic life. As a result, Carolina has implemented scores of new processes and checks and balances that have undoubtedly made us a better university. Hopefully, we will never again receive such a notice."