By Aaron Beard
Associated Press
DURHAM — North Carolina coach Butch Davis plans to release his personal cell phone records to media outlets covering the NCAA investigation of the school’s football program.
The school had previously released records in June showing only few calls from Davis’ office and university-issued cell phone in 2009 and 2010. That prompted reporters to request records for any personal devices used for school business.
Speaking after the Pigskin Preview preseason luncheon with area coaches, Davis said the university had already reviewed records for a cell phone he’s had for about 10 years and that he intended to release them with the numbers for personal calls redacted.
“Anything that has absolutely anything to do with UNC and business, those will certainly be completely open for public record,” Davis said.
Davis didn’t specify exactly when he’d release the records and said he didn’t know if the NCAA had reviewed them.
Thursday’s comments marked the first time Davis had spoken with reporters since the NCAA sent the school a notice last month alleging numerous major violations, though none directly linked to Davis himself. The coach found himself in an almost identical situation at last year’s Pigskin Preview, where he publicly answered questions for the first time after the NCAA began an investigation into improper benefits.
That investigation eventually expanded to academic misconduct and ultimately sidelined 14 players for at least one game with seven ruled out for the entire 2010 season, derailing a possible run at an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a BCS bowl.
One of those seven, New York Giants second-round draftee Marvin Austin, has recently criticized Davis and the school on Twitter. That followed a Durham judge’s decision not to force the school to reinstate defensive lineman Michael McAdoo, who was declared permanently ineligible by the NCAA for academic misconduct.
Davis said he had not seen Austin’s posts, which included one last week that said he wished the school had let the sidelined players play “because really we are gonna face the same penalties and punishments.”
“The one thing I do know is Marvin knows that I am completely ethical and I always do the right thing,” Davis said.
Chancellor Holden Thorp, athletic director Dick Baddour and other administrators have been publicly supportive of Davis, who said he never doubted that he would be back for a fifth season and that he was “excited about the future of our program.” The school must file its official response to the NCAA notice by September and is to appear before the NCAA infractions committee the following month.
“There’s a limited amount that any of us know,” Davis said. “Certainly as has been talked about many times, Dick Baddour as the athletic director, he’s been the point guy. And he, along with our legal counsel and compliance department and Chancellor Thorp, they’re the ones in the know on absolutely everything. There’s a lot of things I don’t need to know, don’t know and they’ve handled everything.
“The one good thing is I’m the football coach and it gives me an opportunity to focus entirely on football and maintain that focus on getting ready for the season: having a great spring practice, having a good summer conditioning program and looking forward to the start of training camp.”