In yet another plot twist to the seemingly never-ending saga of its five-year academic scandal, North Carolina has received a third notice of allegations from the NCAA. According to numerous published reports, the new document readdresses points from the original notice that were omitted from the amended version that was released in April. Specific details have not yet been made available, but are expected to become public when the university posts the new notice of allegations on its web site, perhaps as later this week. The most significant change from the original notice, which came out in May 2015, to the amended notice involved the reclassification of anomalous classes in the African and Afro-American Studies department from “impermissible benefits” to a failure on the part of athletic officials to monitor their academic support system. It also removed all references to the Tar Heels’ football and men’s basketball programs. The new notice of allegations comes nearly two months after UNC’s procedural hearing before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, in which school representatives argued that the NCAA violated its own bylaws in its pursuit of the Tar Heels’ case. This latest development could potentially drag the process out for another extended period of time, just as it seemed as though things might finally be coming to a conclusion. UNC will have up to 90 more days to respond to its new notice, after which the NCAA will have 60 days of its own to respond. Another hearing before the Committee on Infractions would then have to be held before a ruling can be issued and potential sanctions imposed.
