UNC Women's Basketball Coaching Staff Placed on Paid Leave While Under Internal Investigation
The University of North Carolina has initiated an internal review of the school's women's basketball program, UNC announced in a statement on Monday.
According to the release, the investigation comes in light of complaints that were brought up by student-athletes and others within the program. The entire coaching staff, including head coach Sylvia Hatchell, has been placed on paid administrative leave while the review takes place.
"The University of North Carolina is committed to the well-being of our student-athletes and to ensuring that they have the best experience possible in and outside of competition," the school said.
The Charlotte-based firmed Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein will conduct the view and "assess the culture" of the program, UNC added. There is no timetable for when the review will be completed, though the school said it would be "thorough and prompt."
Hatchell, a Naismith Hall of Fame member, has coached at North Carolina since 1986. He is the only coach to win national championships in the AIAW, NAIA and NCAA.
UNC finished the 2018 season with a record of 18–15 and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to California.
