The 3 biggest takeaways from the new North Carolina academic scandal report

The Raleigh News & Observer has been on top of the North Carolina academic scandal since Day 1, and is causing even more waves this week. The publication is at it again this week, taking an in-depth look at the Wainstein report to reveal some particularly troubling truths regarding North Carolina’s 2004-05 men’s basketball national championship team.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from News & Observer’s latest report:

The 2004-05 national championship team was enrolled in 35 African and Afro-American studies courses

The AFAM classes, of course, are the ones at the center of this scandal. Over a span of 18 years, 3,100 students (47 percent of which were athletes) at UNC took advantage of these courses which allowed them to receive quality grades without having to show up for class, turn in papers or take tests. It was easy to assume that a healthy chunk of Roy Williams’ ‘05 national championship squad took these courses, but now we have a clear-cut answer.

Players on the 2004-05 UNC basketball team accounted for 35 of the enrollments in these classes. Nine of those 35 enrollments came in the fall semester, when players needed suitable grades to keep them eligible for the second semester and the second half of the basketball season. Twenty-six came during the spring semester, when the bulk of the season was occurring. At least five of the Tar Heel players took three bogus classes each.

Roy Williams’ story had been changing

When the first murmurings of this scandal began to surface in 2011, Roy Williams was adamant in his assertion that he had no inkling of an idea that something was going on, and was actually outspoken in his defense of his programs’ academic track record.

“Our track record is pretty doggone good,” Williams told a Charlotte radio station on Aug. 15, 2012. “And our track record has been pretty doggone good for 15 years at Kansas, nine years at North Carolina. And we know how much we emphasize the academic side in the basketball office. We know what our guys are majoring in. We know - every day we’re in touch with those kids. So it’s something, again, that I’m very proud of.”

Williams reiterated the stance multiple times, even when he was questioned as to why his players had suddenly stopped enrolling in AFAM courses, and other members of the UNC athletic department followed suit. According to the Wainstein report, however, Williams expressed concern when he arrived at North Carolina that so many of his players were enrolled in the same major. He said he told one of his assistant coaches to make sure that his players weren’t being steered toward any particular majors or courses.

Following the release of the Wainstein report, Williams stated publicly on two separate occasions that he was concerned about so many of his players having the same major.

Rashad McCants was telling (at least partially) the truth

The most controversial figure throughout this whole ordeal has likely been Rashad McCants, one of the biggest stars on UNC’s 2005 national championship team. McCants has repeatedly, and very publicly, claimed that he took sham courses at UNC, that his teammates took sham courses at UNC and that the coaches and administrators all knew it. He doubled down on these claims during a live interview on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” back in June.

“Show your transcripts,” McCants said on the show. “If you want to find the truth, the truth is there in the transcripts.”

McCants had previously alleged that he was enrolled in nothing but paper classes in the spring of 2005 semester. His transcript shows that he was enrolled in three independent studies courses and one lecture which had no instruction. He received all A-minuses in the courses and made UNC’s Dean’s List for the semester.

Overall, during his time at UNC McCants received six C’s, one D and three F’s in the 10 non-African American studies classes that he took. In his 18 AFAM studies courses, McCants received 10 A’s, six B’s, one C and one D.