Rashad McCants appears on ESPN OTL, throws more shots at North Carolina’s Roy Williams
By Brad Rowland
Since the moment that former North Carolina guard Rashad McCants took to the air on ESPN’s Outside the Lines and brought allegations that he took fake classes in addition to the fact that the coaching staff knew that players cheated to stay eligible, there has been a firestorm brewing both in Chapel Hill and nationwide. There was a swift denial, headed by head coach Roy Williams, on the side of the university, but on Wednesday, McCants once again appeared on Outside the Lines and shot back.
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First, McCants took a shot at the media:
Rashad McCants on ESPN: “I feel like the media is perpetuating this joust between myself and Roy Williams and the basketball program."
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 11, 2014
Then, the former sharpshooter took the university to task, specifically for allowing Roy Williams to speak first instead of a university official more closely associated to academics.
Rashad McCants on OTL: "Why is Roy Williams being the first to respond to a academic accusation?"
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) June 11, 2014
McCants: “The university has not stepped forth to say anything. This was not an athletic accusation. This was an academic truth."
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 11, 2014
Following that, the conversation shifted to Williams himself:
McCants: If Roy Williams doesn’t step up, take responsibility … how is it that you’re not accountable for [things] happening off the floor?
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) June 11, 2014
McCants: "[They] didn't ask how much did I think Matt Doherty knew about these paper classes...This doesn't just hold true to Roy Williams."
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) June 11, 2014
And finally, Rashad McCants did his part to equally distribute the blame:
McCants: "This is a system. Everybody plays a part in the system. Whether it's Roy, whether it's Dean...UNC isn't the only place it happens"
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) June 11, 2014
In addition to the quotes from McCants himself, Rob Dauster of College Basketball Talk brought an interesting take to the table on the motives of McCants:
Rashad McCants is essentially saying he's doing this to support student-athletes' fight vs. the NCAA, not "snitch" on UNC.
— Rob Dauster (@RobDauster) June 11, 2014
Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum with regard to “Rashad McCants versus North Carolina”, this revelation has illuminated quite a bit in the world of college basketball.