Dick Baddour reflects on athletic investigation

As the investigation into UNC’s football team begins to calm, athletic director Dick Baddour said he has a bit more free time on his hands.

“A few weeks ago, I was doing little else. I told my wife I didn’t know what normal was anymore, I was completely consumed,” Baddour told a crowd of freshmen Tuesday in Graham Memorial as part of the First Year Fellows program.

He went on to explain the four guiding principles of the athletics department: academic success, integrity, competition and overall experience of student athletes.

“Obviously in the last three months we’ve hit some stumbling blocks, but we still embody all of these qualities in everything we do,” Baddour said of the department’s core beliefs.

In the hour-long talk, Baddour shed a positive light in the wake of an investigation that rocked the athletics department, praising the football team for its resiliency in tough times.

“I’m telling you folks, you are watching an amazing team,” he said. “There are very few teams that could handle this type of situation. It is truly remarkable.”

He also stressed that the indiscretions of a few individuals should not reflect negatively on the entire department.

“I don’t think our academic success is in question,” he said. “I don’t think the statistics speak to that, nor do I believe the character of our 800 student athletes are in question.

“I certainly cannot run from the indiscretions that we’ve had, but I think we’ve responded and haven’t hidden a thing.”

Hector Pureco said he was excited to hear about the situation directly from the man in charge.

“With all the controversy, it’s interesting to get a firsthand account of it,” Pureco said. “I was surprised to see how much it has impacted his personal life.”

Matt Steyl said he was impressed with Baddour’s candid nature in the talk.

“We’re not authorities or anything but I think he did a really good job of answering questions fairly and telling us all he could,” he said.

After he spoke, Baddour fielded questions from students, with most non-football inquiries focused on the upcoming basketball season.

When asked what he thought about the team, Baddour responded, “I’m excited, mainly because Roy (Williams) is excited.”

Baddour then turned the questions to the students, asking them what they enjoyed about UNC athletics.

When a student responded that he enjoys UNC soccer games, Baddour asked if the student had heard news about a recent controversy involving Florida State University’s women’s soccer team.

“It’s gotten national attention, and for once, we’re not involved,” Baddour said.

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.