Exclusive: Rashad McCants, "I Blindsided My Teammates"
Liar. Cheater. Manipulator. Loser. Selfish. Waste of talent. Hothead. Unpredictable.
What name hasn't former Tar Heel Rashad McCants been called? Speaking with him, you can see the wear of the past 15 years in his body language and the sincerity in his voice is evident; indications in previous years that told you where his head was and whether or not to approach him. It takes a lot for someone like McCants, who is boasted as prideful and selfish, to admit to the wrongdoings of his past mistakes and take responsibility for previous actions; not locking-in during the 2005 championship run and not being the team player he could've been are just a few of the examples he listed.
In 2014, McCants made crucial and damning allegations against North Carolina. McCants came forth with his 'truth' regarding his education at the university and 'paper classes.' He stated numerous times that tutors did his homework, taking "paper classes," and concluded that head coach Roy Williams knew all about it,
"The question is, what are we talking about, honestly. I mean I have a check being written to me from the University of North Carolina for over $10 million due to the exploitation of me as a player and the lack of education that I received," McCants revealed, "The NCAA has a check for me for over $300 million to help me facilitate these sports education programs across the country. These are things that are in the works."
The university denied these allegations and directed McCants to speak with Kenneth Wainstein regarding his education at UNC.
In those six years, McCants said there were no words to describe his isolation—lonely doesn't even suffice as a description, but it was during that time he began to recognize the actions that caused pain for those he looked up to the most, his teammates. In this exclusive conversation, McCants opens up about his choices in the past, the teammates he blindsided, the forgiveness he's seeking, and, most importantly, the letter he left for the program during the 2020 ACC Tournament.
The North Carolina native is specific about differentiating an apology and forgiveness. McCants doesn't apologize for what he did, but he acknowledges that leading with his feelings and a heart of revenge wasn't the way to succeed in defeating something bigger than North Carolina. For him, It wasn't about derailing UNC but advocating for student-athletes to have the support they're seeking now—a safe place to be themselves, programs held accountably, and coaches pushing for more than a banner. He realizes that in his anger, the message got lost, and with that recognition, he's asking for forgiveness.
Understandably, the anger with McCants is warranted from every former teammate, player, missed recruiting opportunity, lifelong fan and most importantly, Roy Williams, but maybe your stance will change, a little, after this video.
Being a fan again will probably take some time, and it should (if ever). The betrayal doesn't erase overnight, but maybe seeing that No. 32 in the rafters will hurt a little less.
Full Interview:
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