Dark Clouds Loom Over Potential North Carolina Breakout Season

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The questions have come at T.J. Yates from all sides and angles. Never mind the concerns about his ability as quarterback of North Carolina, or the expectations heaped on a Tar Heels team that is projected by some to join the college football elite.

Suddenly, the team is secondary.

As he walked around campus in Chapel Hill in recent days, and as he sat surrounded by a horde of reporters on Sunday at the annual ACC media day, Yates couldn't get away from the talk of agents, runners, parties and the suddenly sullied reputation of a football program on the rise.

"It's been a lot,'' Yates said Sunday of the questions that dog the team wherever it goes. "It's kind of annoying, a little bit, because I think this team should be worried about football and strictly football and how this team is going to prepare for this season. It's a little annoying, but it just comes with it.''

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It has been like this ever since news broke earlier this month of an NCAA investigation involving defensive tackle Marvin Austin and receiver Greg Little and their attendance at a south Florida party in May. The investigation, which includes athletes at Georgia, Alabama, Florida and South Carolina as well, is ongoing.

In the meantime, North Carolina begins preparations for the start of training camp on Aug. 6 still uncertain of the status of those players.

And it's not the only problem for the Tar Heels these days. All-ACC linebacker Quan Sturdivant faces disciplinary action following his arrest for marijuana possession earlier in July. Asked if Sturdivant would be suspended for the season-opening game against LSU, an important contest not just for North Carolina but for a conference that needs to project more mettle nationally, coach Butch Davis was noncommittal.



"We haven't made any decision on that yet,'' Davis said on Monday.

Sturdivant was a critical component of a defense ranked sixth in the nation last year in allowing 269 yards per game. With nine starters returning, the defense is expected to be among the best in the country again in 2010. It's one reason North Carolina is showing up on numerous top 20 lists entering training camp.

But the off-field problems might have played a role in the Tar Heels being picked by media to finish no better than fourth in the Coastal Division this year behind Virginia Tech, Miami and Georgia Tech.

Still, Davis was quick to downplay the impact on his team and the possibility it could derail a season of promise even before the first snap of practice.

"Some of the things you deal with your football team, you deal with the anticipation of the unexpected,'' Davis said. "I can't tell you today what the weather's going to be like for any of our games. Are we gonna play in a driving rainstorm? Is there gonna be sleet? Is there gonna be bad weather, are we going to get bad officiating calls? I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that we talk to our players that when something that presents itself in the face of adversity, how are you going to react to it? How are you going to handle it?''

Davis might see the problems as nothing more than bad weather, but ACC commissioner John Swofford views it as much more than an unexpected storm. He spent a significant portion of his Sunday meeting with media to address the growing agent infestation in college sports. Swofford later said he spoke directly with North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour about the investigation.

Swofford refused to label it a black eye on the conference.

"Stuff happens,'' he said. "It's the kind of thing you wish didn't happen and I don't know whether it happened or not. Until we sort of get to an end point, that's premature to even comment about a specific case.''

The players and Davis are taking a similar approach, declining to talk specifics as the investigation continues. But they can't get away from the questions, which is why Yates is already looking forward to August.

"I cannot wait for training camp to come to get back out there and be practicing with my teammates,'' he said.

These days, football is the distraction.

But leave it to North Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn to somehow find a bright spot in the muck. After all, being mentioned with the top programs in the country, even if it is for an off-field scandal, shows the program is finally big time.

"We're in a category with Southern Cal, Florida, two big programs, and North Carolina,'' he said. "I guess with all this craziness going on, it's a good thing. We must be doing something right.''