What you need to know about UNC’s settlement

The media coalition, which also includes The (Raleigh) News & Observer, The Charlotte Observer and the Associated Press, sued the University in 2010 for all internal records related to the football investigation.

How did it come to this?

Requests for said records had previously been blocked by the University, which asserted that they were protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

The University stuck to this interpretation throughout the lawsuit but received unfavorable rulings from Superior Court Judge Howard Manning. It agreed to a settlement with the media outlets on Thursday, ending the two-year legal battle.

What records were released Friday?

The University released a few documents it had sent to the NCAA.

It released the request that defensive end Robert Quinn be reinstated, along with the complete “statements of facts” for Charles Brown, Kendric Burney, Michael McAdoo and Deunta Williams.

The University also released records of the legal fees it incurred in dealings with the NCAA.

What did we learn?

The documents sent to the NCAA largely lend detail to what was already known.

They detail the associations that got Quinn in hot water with the NCAA and eventually declared ineligible. The reinstatement request states that Quinn received $5,443.92 in impermissible benefits in 2010. The University sought to limit Quinn’s punishment to a six-game suspension.

The request also includes a written apology from Quinn.

The legal bills show UNC paid $66,877.76 to the law firm Bond Schoeneck and King in July, August and September 2010. The fees are largely related to UNC’s dealings with the NCAA.

As part of the settlement agreement, the University will pay the media coalition $45,000 in legal fees.

What’s coming out Nov. 5?

The lion’s share of what is included in the settlement agreement is unredacted interview transcripts conducted with football players during the football investigation, to be released Nov. 5.

As part of the settlement, the media groups are prohibited from posting the transcripts in their entirety to the Internet, but they are not limited in quoting from or reporting on the transcripts.

The media groups also cannot provide or assist in providing the transcripts to any other party. But if another group acquires the transcripts and posts them online, the media groups are no longer obligated to keep them off the Internet.

The University is required to produce the interviews within 14 days from Oct. 22 — Nov. 5. In a statement released Friday, the University said it would be releasing the player transcripts on Nov. 5.