A day after abruptly showing former football head coach Butch Davis the door, North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp stood before the media to explain his reasoning behind the snap judgement well-though-out decision.
Of course, Thorp’s first words were “The timing is terrible."; the decision to oust Davis came just over a week from the beginning of fall camp.
UNC boosters agree, and now they’re threatening to take legal action if they don’t get answers.
Or, at least, the answers they want. Apparently, Thorp’s e-mailed defense chock-full of redundancies wasn’t sufficient.
According to the Charlotte Observer, a group of boosters who are helping fund the new “Blue Zone” -- the newest expansion and renovation to Kenan Memorial Stadium -- want more information from Thorp as to why Davis was fired.
Specifically, they want:
- Records of correspondence between Thorp and several UNC officials, including: Hanna Gage, Chairwoman of the UNC Board of Governors; Wade Hargrove, current chairman of the Board of Trustees; Art Chansky, a former employee at Tar Heel Sports Properties; William Friday, former President of the University of North Carolina System; and athletic director Dick Baddour.
Thorp’s cell phone records over the past 13 months, and any emails during that timeframe responsive to the request that he may have been deleted.
- Notes, minutes and records in Thorp’s possession from any discussions about Davis and the football situation at the July 27, 2011 Board of Trustees meeting.
- Any documents concerning any proposed self-imposed sanctions that are to be presented to the NCAA in connection with the UNC football program, if applicable.
- Correspondence between Thorp and the NCAA – or anyone else -- concerning Thorp’s self-reported violation of NCAA rules as a result of his public comments about Drew Davis.
“I can tell you, everybody that we represent is furious about the timing of Butch Davis’ firing,’’ said Don Brown, one of the five attorneys representing the boosters. “They feel like their investment was based on Butch Davis being the head coach … and the public reassurances over the past year that he would remain the coach. … They want answers.”
Currently, no action is being taken. The chance of future legal ramifications, though, could fall heavily on Thorp’s words.
And, considering Thorp did an about-face on what felt like a year-long vote of confidence of Davis -- which, in other words, would be a year of damaging the “University’s reputation” -- and then try to pass it off as completely normal, he’ll have to choose those words carefully.
