UNC chancellor Holden Thorp said it’s “no problem” that UNC football player Kendric Burney is taking one course this semester.
Burney, a fifth-year senior, was cleared to play for the first time this season Tuesday after being granted a waiver from the NCAA regarding his academics.
“The rule that would have kept him from competing with his current course load was an NCAA rule,” Thorp said. “So if the NCAA gave him a waiver, that’s fine.”
According to a report in The (Raleigh) News & Observer, the Honor Court changed Burney’s grade in a core class from last semester from a C to a C-, causing him to not earn credit for the course. He must retake the course in the spring in order to graduate.
According to NCAA bylaw 14.10.1, Thorp is “responsible for approving the procedures for certifying the eligibility of an institution’s student-athletes under NCAA legislation.” He could designate that assignment to a staff member, but the certification “must occur prior to allowing a student-athlete to represent the institution in intercollegiate competition.”
Athletic director Dick Baddour said UNC and the NCAA have worked together during the investigation into the academic portion of the review.
“In a couple of conversations, we laid out for them our process,” Baddour said. “They acknowledged and said, ‘You’re on the right track, continue doing what you’re doing and at some point, we may send somebody to join.’ And that is in fact what they did later.
“We were always in communication with them and they knew what we were doing, and they were endorsing what we were doing.”
Burney received a six-game suspension from the NCAA on Sept. 22 for violating NCAA rules of agent benefits and preferential treatment. The senior cornerback was slated to return to the team last week against Miami, but he was withheld while his eligibility continued to be determined.
