Some Classic UNC Reactions

We were poking through the e-mails/diatribes posted over at FireHoldenThorp.com, and found some real beauties.  Essentially the theme is this: how dare you fire Butch Davis just when the program was beginning to win?  And secondarily: well yeah there were some, uh, issues, but that's secondary to the program beginning to win!

Here are some excerpts.

*****

I feel disgusted to be associated and believe that if you are going to fire [Butch Davis] due to the reputation of the school, then you and Mr. Baddour should go as well. Accountability is accountability and the buck should stop with you.

Thank you for taking what was becoming a very proud and bright future for our program and setting it back 5 – 10 years.

Regards,

Chris Kelley

(Boy, if firing a coach set the program back, wait until the probation comes down).

*****

Davis’ only sin seems to be in giving a second chance to a coach who claimed he had been rehabilitated, only to find out he was still a wolf in sheep’s clothing. In our society we try hard to find good in people. Even hardened criminals and murderers are offered forgiveness when they admit the error of their ways. We need to believe that people are basically good. Sometimes we’re wrong. Clearly John Blake had convinced the powers that he had found religion. Sucker!

(But the sucker here is Butch Davis!)

*****

Deliberately misleading the public, the athletic department, and the coaching staff of your football team is disgraceful enough, but to actually dismiss the backbone of the team a mere eight days before the start of practice not only constitutes an act of callousness unparalleled in the history of this institution, but for all intents and purposes throws this team to the lions after enduring the most trying year in the history of the program.  An honest and respected leader would not have plunged a knife into the unseeing back of a fine man like Butch Davis, who had dedicated himself to bringing passion, commitment, and respect to a football program long marred by complacency and mediocrity.

Sincerely,

JNE
Class of ’11

*****

I have loved UNC for over forty years, and this is the first time I have doubted my allegiance.  I have never seen a bigger firestorm of negativity, leveled at anyone, as great as the one now being aimed at Chancellor Thorp.  The counter attack measures, being taken by many, will only heighten an already bad situation.  His actions have hurt many and will leave everlasting scars.  Scars that will not fade unless plastic surgery is performed.

Bill Turner
Cornelius, NC

*****

I’m sure you’ve heard many complaints, criticisms and outright threats towards yourself based on the recent occurrences concerning ex-head football coach Butch Davis. Know full and well that these complaints are well justified and deserved on your part...Equally, he has not been found to have knowledge of the academic scandal that also occurred. Conveniently enough, academic affairs is overseen by your former post, of which I’m sure you’re aware...Make no mistake, the Carolina Way is and should be a large part of everything our university dips its feet in. But the Carolina Way is not about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It’s not about promoting sacrificial lambs because certain constituents of our university made poor choices....What honor lies in bending over and acquiescing to despicable institutions such as North Carolina State University (henceforth referred to as MooU) and the News & Observer? What honor is there is sacrificing an innocent to save another innocent’s face?...Maybe at the end of the day it’s okay if Moo U or the N&O thought we were cheaters. MooU is amongst the NCAA’s most cheating universities of all time, so their opinion never mattered to begin with. Maybe you should’ve shown some courage even in the face of adversity. Because you, Chancellor, are now guilty of a more gross injustice than sleeping on a professional football player’s couch or having a tutor format your Works Cited page. You’ve violated human ethics.

Sincerely,
Disgruntled

*****

You have in one day crushed about 50 years worth of intense love for Carolina.  I have not seen or even read about a darker day for my beloved University, and I was around for a few rough times.  Sadly, I do not think I can ever feel the same again, if such a tragedy can happen on the whim of one man.

*****

...Speaking frankly Chancellor, I feel like you have grossly overestimated the effect of negative media coverage on “Carolinas reputation”. The University of North Carolina is bigger than “tudorgate”, bigger than “twittergate”, bigger than “too many parking tickets”, bigger than Lawrence Taylors drug problems, bigger than marijuana smoking in Eringhaus dorm, bigger than drunken brawls on Thursday nights at “He’s Not Here”, bigger than the academic fraud being committed every day under the watch of any current or former dean, and bigger than any one person, be it Butch Davis or Holden Thorp.

*****

*****

How do you think this is working for you so far?Are you a betting man? I’ll wager you whatever foo foo drink you prefer that not only did you not succeed in taking us off the front pages but that you emboldened our enemies and made a laughing stock of anyone that is actually capable of critical thinking.

I’ll make you a second wager, that this will become a textbook study in how not to manage a crisis in a major institution.

My final bet is we don’t see you in Kenan this fall under any circumstances and that makes you a coward in addition to incompetent.

Son, when you can’t swim, the deep end is not the place for you.

*****

When registering a complaint, it's often useful to spend the first 500 + words  explaining who you are and why that gives you the right to complain...

I grew up in Carteret County. My family basically lived in poverty. My father was an alcoholic. I was a shy boy that hardly left the house and was terrified of girls. Then one day I found midget league football. I was about twelve years old and I became a star. I had friends and a girl even asked me to go on a hayride. We dated for five years until I went to Chapel Hill and she went to Greenville. Sports connected me to the world and I began to gain some confidence. I was elected class president each of my four years at West Carteret High School. While at WCHS, I participated in football, basketball, wrestling, and track & field. Academically, I was in the top ten in my senior class. I was nominated for the Morehead Scholarship. I applied for early admission to UNC and was accepted. I played a little club football at UNC and participated in intramural sports, but I was not good enough to play “college ball.” I received my BSBA degree from UNC-CH in 1979. I am a lifetime member (#13381) of The General Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I have been gainfully employed since September 17, 1979. I received my MBA degree from Campbell University in 1990. I have purchased UNC season football tickets since 1980 and have been a member of the Rams Club (formerly the Educational Foundation) since 1981. I contributed to the building fund for the “Dean Dome” and have had UNC season basketball tickets since 1986. Not to equate it with being on the UNC-CH Board of Trustees, but I am an elected member of the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Benson and I am an appointed member of the Johnston Community College Board of Trustees (during the past 12 years, I helped select and hire two JCC presidents). I have volunteered for many civic activities. I have been married to my wife for twenty-five years. I am a member of the Carolina Club. I am a member of Benson Baptist Church and I have been on a couple of mission trips to Guatemala. I have also made multiple trips to Canada, Mexico, Europe, and China. Although I could probably have achieved much more (public speaking is my bane), I am basically satisfied with my life. However, my wife still does not appreciate why sports are so important to me. It is apparently hard to understand that I would not be who or where I am if not for midget league football. I know there are other perspectives, but for me sports are very important and UNC sports are the reason I am so strongly attached to UNC-CH.I was so excited about the upcoming football season. I went to Chapel Hill on May 18th to select my seats. Not only did I purchase my usual four season tickets, but I bought tickets to away games at ECU, Clemson, and NCSU. Now, I don’t even want to go to Kenan Stadium, much less some other arenas.

*****

Chancellor,

After much thought, I have decided to email you once again regarding your firing of Coach Butch Davis. In so doing, you have exhibited a total lack of character, integrity, and leadership skills. Today, I have added a codicil to my will withdrawing my bequest to the University of North Carolina.