The NCAA Committee on Infractions revealed Friday it “could not conclude academic violations” in the African Studies courses at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
The NCAA’s investigation focused on if the African Studies classes in question benefited athletes, but instead found that the classes benefited all students, not just student-athletes
“While student-athletes likely benefited from the so-called ‘paper courses’ offered by North Carolina, the information available in the record did not establish that the courses were solely created, offered and maintained as an orchestrated effort to benefit student-athletes,” panel’s chief hearing officer and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.
“The panel is troubled by the university’s shifting positions about whether academic fraud occurred on its campus and the credibility of the Cadwalader report, which it distanced itself from after initially supporting the findings.
“However, NCAA policy is clear. The NCAA defers to its member schools to determine whether academic fraud occurred and, ultimately, the panel is bound to making decisions within the rules set by the membership.”
The only violations that NCAA found were by two former staff members in the African Studies Department, Julius Nyang’oro and Debby Crowder, who failed to cooperate during the investigation.
Here’s what fans had to say about the decision:
