Documents detail improper benefits received by UNC football players
Court documents recently unsealed in North Carolina detail the improper benefits received by UNC football players that led to NCAA sanctions in 2012, according to the Associated Press.
The five search warrants were filed as part of a case involving Christopher Hawkins, a former UNC player who authorities say violated the state’s laws on college athletes’ relationships with sports agents. Hawkins, who was dismissed by the Tar Heels in 2004 and later transferred to Marshall, was arrested in May and charged with acting as a middle man between UNC players and agents.
In 2010, 14 UNC players missed games because of an investigation into whether they received improper benefits. Eventual NFL draft picks Robert Quinn, Marvin Austin and Greg Little were at the center of the investigation.
The unsealed warrants reveal that UNC players received cash, were paid for signing memorabilia and were guided toward particular agents.
“In February 2013, Quinn told investigators Hawkins provided $13,700 to steer him to [agent Peter] Schaffer and [financial adviser Marty] Blazer,” the AP reports.
Hawkins shared a house with former Tar Heels and Pittsburgh Steelers running back Willie Parker, where athletes would find envelopes of money marked with their names, the documents say.
Quinn and Little were ruled permanently ineligible by the NCAA before the 2010 season, while Austin was suspended that season and ultimately dismissed from the team.
- Dan Gartland
