Rashad McCants, the second leading scorer on the University of North Carolina’s basketball team that won the 2004-05 national title, recently spoke out about tutors who wrote many of his term papers.
Reports say he rarely went to class yet maintained athletic eligibility because he took weaker classes designed to keep athletes academically qualified.
“I thought it was a part of the college experience – just like watching the movie ‘He Got Game’ or ‘Blue Chips,’” McCants said. “When you go to college, you don’t go to class. You don’t do nothing except show up and play. That’s exactly how it was, you know, and I think that was the tradition of college basketball or college sports period. You’re not there for an education, though they tell you that.”
These “paper classes” did not require students to attend class, rather students were required to submit only one term paper to receive a grade.
The University of North Carolina is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which is headquartered in Indianapolis. The NCAA has strict, clear policies for student athletes.
McCants told ESPN investigative series Outside the Lines in the spring of 2005 that despite him not attending classes, that semester he still received straight A’s and was on the dean’s list. He also tells that advisors and tutors who worked with the basketball program pointed him to paper classes within the African-American Studies Program.
UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham also told the program, “It is very disappointing any time a student is dissatisfied with his or her experience. I welcome the opportunity to speak with Rashad McCants about returning to UNC to continue his academic career, just as we have welcomed many former student athletes interested in completing their degrees.”
McCants also said that coach Roy Williams knew about the paper class system at UNC.
Williams issued a statement saying, “With respect to the comments made about me, I strongly disagree with what Rashad has said. In no way did I know about or do anything close to what he says and I think the players whom I have coached over the years will agree with me. I have spent 63 years on this Earth trying to do things the right way and the picture he portrays is not fair to the university or me.”
Indiana is known for basketball and many wonder if this kind of behavior happens in Hoosier colleges. Marian University sports information director Geoffre Sherman said the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the NCAA have similar rules and policies when handling this type of situation.
“Both are self-reporting voluntary membership associations. The institutions must acknowledge and inform the NAIA of any cases of academic fraud similar to that of the NCAA,” he said.
Sherman also commented on the UNC-Rashad McCants issue stating, “After the accusation was made, the institution would have to deeply investigate. Beyond that, it is pretty simple. If the investigation came up with something, then the institution would have to report it to the NAIA and accept any sanctions levied. If it came up with nothing, then it would be a moot point.”
