TO THE EDITOR:
Monday’s editorial titled “Davis should go” (Oct. 4) was poorly researched and truly highlighted the ignorance many UNC students have about how a college football program operates.
College football can be an incredibly profitable enterprise for a university. There are many facets of a program not limited to coaching, including equipment, academics, marketing, etc. A head coach has hands in all of these, but is not a micro-manager.
What appears to have come to light through this investigation is that in college football it is impossible to hold the hands of over 85 players on a roster. Players make mistakes.
To the writers of “Davis must go,” is it Butch’s fault that Marvin Austin took a few trips? The answer is obviously a resounding no. Is it his fault players took help from one tutor? Is that “lack of institutional control,” as defined by the NCAA? Probably not.
No one in any program can possibly know everything all the time. If no NCAA sanctions result from this investigation, Davis will and should remain our head coach. And it is my hope that the majority of our student body recognizes that this is just a minor speed bump for Coach Davis and his staff on the way to building a great, respectable program here at UNC.
Ryan Watts
Junior
Business
